Bogeymen
by Lord Candycane
Summary: Darnell Aswan is privileged, revered, and a monster. When she comes into close contact with a human boy, she finds her already challenging life take an even more deadly turn as she finds herself under threat from both a feared monster hunter and a mysterious revenant, both of whom hold a few secrets to her family's past.
1. Prologue

_This is a story I've had for quite some time, about a year or two, but only recently did I decide to make it into an actual story. But, without further ado, let's continue with this fanfiction._

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**_Bogeymen_**

_August 12, 1712_

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"Another family's coming, sir," A man proclaimed to Saul Thompson as a carriage entered into the pilgrim village.

The family inside was mostly concealed, but even Saul could see the young boy within the carriage. He looked so innocent, having such a warm, oblivious smile on his face as he waved to some of the other village children.

"Poor lad," The man lamented as the carriage left. "A shame nobody told the family what's in these woods."

"Isn't that how it always is," Saul replied, the tone of his voice not matching his true thoughts. "The family comes in, then _it _happens. It's been like that since I was a child."

"But when'll it stop?" The man questioned, an almost amused glint in his eyes as he raised an eyebrow towards Saul.

"That's what I'm trying to do," Saul replied defiantly as he glanced off at the whole of the village. "It may take years, but someday, those _creatures _will learn that this village is a truly dangerous place for things like them."

* * *

I was scared.

I don't know why I'd gone out in the afternoon, alone. After all, this was when _they_ were at their most active. And yet here I am, alone in this massive forest.

Normally, I wouldn't be so scared. After all, I've been in this forest my whole life, and I know many locations within it, but not all of them. There are parts of this forest I will not explore until I am grown. Maybe not even then.

Currently, I am travelling on one of _their _roads. It leads me to where they live. I've been there a few times, but never at a time like this.

For a moment, I wonder why I'm even doing this. I'll gain practically nothing, and I'm putting my life on the line by going near them. Nobody even told me to do it. Not my mother, or my friends.

Oh yeah, that's why. I'd captured one of them. I'd found it, alone, in the forest. It was smaller and frailer than I was when I was a baby. Someone must've abandoned it here. Typical.

I would've left it, but I have a conscience. So I took it, and it's in my arms now. Now, I'm taking it back to where they live, and I hope that they don't see me why'll I'm there.

It feels so weird. It's skin is unnatural, and it's eyes are a color I don't know what to call it. It's so deformed and ugly, and it's a wonder how someone could give birth to such a thing. I've seen them before, but never so up close and personal to them. I wonder if some time when I'm older, I'll do it again.

Their home is in sight now, but before I take another step, I can see a birds nest up on one of those trees. I'm curious so I climb up to see what's in it.

I see three small sparrow chicks in the nest, chirping up at me. Their mother isn't there at the moment. Aw, aren't they cute. Shame they're going to die now.

_Chomp!_

The nest is empty now. I wipe my mouth and then wipe the nest clean so when the mother comes back, her home will be clean. Then I continue towards their homestead.

Once I'm close enough, I hide behind a bush and keep watch as the creatures show up. There are three of them, and one is smaller and younger than the other two. He appears to be about a year younger than me, but I'm not sure how their age process works so I may be wrong. Maybe he's a century old, maybe a few days old, I don't know for sure.

It's a truly astonishing sight, they are. I've sighted creatures like them why whole life, and yet I'm still marveled at them. They are like us, but they are deformed, like some sort of mutation. They are so confusing, as well. These monsters always seek us out to trap and torture and kill us, yet they seem so scared of us. Sometimes, they try to attack me, but I'm too quick for them. They'd never get me. Others aren't so lucky.

These three are the most recent of these creatures that have been populating this forest. Sometimes, I think there are more of them than us. I wonder what attracts them to come here.

I hesitate. Maybe I should take this creature back and it show it to my family. They could study it and maybe figure out some of their secrets. We know how to do it. But I know I can't.

The monsters are leaving now, inside their den. This is my chance. I can go in, and then get out.

Quickly, I race towards the den, careful not to be seen. The creature in my arms is beginning to gibber something unintelligible, sort of like me, but I ignore it. The moment I'm close enough to the opening of the den, I set the creature down, then scratch the covering of the den. I then flee just as the opening opens.

In a few seconds, I'm back behind the bush. I've done it, and now I can go home.

That is when I hear rustling. As I hide a bit and hope it's a mere rabbit, I see them. These three creatures are now travelling through the forest. I recognize them instantly. These male creatures are the ones that try to hunt us down. And they're getting closer.

_Crick. Creek._

They're almost there. Soon, they'll see me, and then they'll catch me in their massive paws.

One of them, the largest one, is lingering over the bush, and I can clearly see his misshapen face, a staple of their kind, the monsters that haunt my nightmares.

Humans.

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_End of the first chapter. Reviews are always appreciated. _


	2. I'm a Bogeyman

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: If the opening scared you, I wonder how you'll react to what'll happen next._

_BookMast3r: I altered the original cover so it resembled the Bogeymen more. Also, I was trying to keep the P.O.V character ambiguous to see if anyone would catch on._

* * *

There is no more time left. I have to do it now.

Quickly, I spring to my feet and take off in a blur of movement, startling the three humans as they close in on me. My species are much faster than them, so it's no problem for me to escape as I sprint through the forest.

As I run, an arrow whizzes past my head. In my encounters with humans, I'd learned of some of their weapons. Those humans had crafted weapons known as crossbows, and it was one of their most common weapons used against us. I'd expected them to use it, so I don't run in a straight line. Instead, I zigzag across the area, sprinting past trees and bushes to further complicate their attempts to attack me.

"Agh!" I hear the largest one scream as he fires another crossbow at me. This one very nearly catches me, nicking my hair before striking into a large oak tree. I run even faster now and dive into the thicket of trees, vanishing from their view.

I race up a tree and hide in its massive branches, listening closely for the sounds of the three humans. I sneak a peek through the branches and see the three humans, about a kilometer away from where I am.

"Spread out and find it," The largest one orders the other two, and they go off into the direction I'd gone in. However, I'm no longer scared. They'll never catch me why'll I'm up here.

As the two humans scout the trees, I quietly crawl down the tree before walking off in a different direction, being careful not to make any noises.

Once I'm sure I'm far enough, I let out a brief laugh of relief at how lucky my escape was. Those human creatures were dangerous, but they were also stupid and predictable.

I'd recognized the largest one. In my journeys through the village, I'd picked up his name. He was the human known as Saul.

The other humans called him a monster-hunter. I've heard him say he defended their home from danger.

What a joke. He's gotten lucky and captured a few of us, but today he just failed to capture a thirteen year old child. If he failed at that, then he's a failure in general. Still, I wouldn't want to get too overconfident. It was that recklessness that led to others getting caught.

In fact, now that I'm away from danger, I can introduce myself.

I'm Darnell Aswan. I'm a Bogeyman.

I'm thirteen years old, as I said before. I'm a bit taller than the Bogeymen my age, but the full grown Bogeymen tower over me. My appearance in general is a staple of my kind; I have pitch black hair and gray skin. My hair is rather short and nappy, unlike the other female Bogeymen, who's hair are mostly straight. Our complexion allow us to hide in the dark, so humans can't see us. Our eyes our black, as are the rings around it, but out pupils are a glowing red. At times, it's a curse to have them because it'll give us away when we spy on the humans. Our fingers are very long and extremely sharp, which allows us to cut through things very easily, especially the woodland animals we feast on or occasionally a human that wonders into our part of the forest. Under my left eye, I have a beauty mark.

We've managed to fashion clothing for ourselves with the material from the forest. It appears the humans share our modesty as they, too, wear clothing that is almost identical to ours, the difference being their clothing has a wider degree of colors to them.

I'm one of the oldest of the new generation of Bogeymen. Thus, the others look up to me and follow my lead, and the adults expect me to set a good example to them as they grow up. This is probably why I go to the human village more often than the others; to show the younger ones not to be scared of danger.

However, I nearly died today, so that's kind of straining my opinions of my duties. It's nearly nighttime now, so I'm heading to my home.

I'm in my own land now. The trees in this part of the forest are bigger, taller, and thicker than the other ones, and the tree branches are large enough for us to fit through them. Because of this, we've made out homes in them. Over the years, I've recognized the trees and which Bogeymen live in them.

My home tree is farther than the other ones and slightly closer to the human village. In it was a large hole, large enough for a bear to fit through, which I use as a doorway to pass through and into my home.

Quickly enough, I sprint through and into my home.

My tree is large enough to be divided into multiple sections. One of the branches is where I sleep in, while the tree branches are reserved for my mother, Aristodemos, and my younger twin brothers, Devlin and Damion.

Aristodemos is currently in the tree, waiting for me as I return. My mother is rather tall, and very serious looking. Her fair is longer than mines, falling down to her back. She'd given birth to me and my brothers rather early in life, and now she was in her mid-thirties.

"Darnell, you're back," She said, flashing me a grateful smile as I stood still. However, then she frowned. "Where were you?"

"I-I was in the forest," I explained to her.

"In the afternoon?" She said, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. "Darling, that's when those _humans _are active."

"Oh, I was about to mention that," I said, before pausing a bit. I could only imagine how she'd react when I told her I found a human infant in the forest and returned it to the human village.

It appeared my mother had noticed my hesitance, as she crossed her arms as she did when she awaited an answer from me. When she received none, she spoke up.

"Were you at their village?" She truthfully guessed, her cold eyes boring into my soul. She was glaring at me, the glare she would use when she knew I was hiding something from her.

"I found a human infant-" I began before getting cut off.

"In the forest? Abandoned?" Aristodemos asked, and she began pacing in front of me.

"Yes, it was abandoned," I said. "I just thought if I returned it-"

"You went to _their _village to return one of _them_?" She asked, venom in her voice as she mentioned those humans. I could tell from the harsh expressions she was giving me that she was deeply disappointed. I daren't say another word.

"Darnell, if a human is abandoned in the forest, then it was probably abandoned for a reason," Aristodemos explained to me, continuing to pace. "That is how humans are like. They don't care about us or each other, so you shouldn't care about them. When that human grows up, it'll grow up to hate and fear us."

"I know, but-"

"Why do you think we must go there to make sure they don't think about trying to hurt us?" Aristodemos interrupted, her glowing red eyes piercing my soul.

I flinched slightly as I remembered how what we do to humans. Occasionally, if we find a human, especially a child, was misbehaving, we'll sneak into their houses to instill intimidation in them. Hiding under their beds, in particular, had become infamous with humans. For the most part, we would simply scare them until they second guessed their demeanor. However, on a few occasions, we would do away with them if they were too unruly, or tried to attack us. We mainly did it to children, as they were the most impressionable, but occasionally, we'd come after adults.

In my short lifetime, I'd only scare human children. Most of them were preteens, around my age. However, I'd recently cut down on doing that and stuck to watching them from within the forest, something the adult Bogeymen, including my mother, had noticed.

"Darnell, you've always been..._different _from the rest of us," Aristodemos said, approaching me. "Some of the other Bogeymen have noticed this. You're too compassionate towards humans; you should only be compassionate towards other Bogeymen. It's what your father would've wanted."

I felt a twinge of sadness when she mentioned my father. He'd died when I was young, murdered by some human villagers. That had left my mother a widow. Some of the other male Bogeymen had tried to woo her, but they were only met with rebuffs.

My mother lifted my chin with her index finger. "Darnell, if you're going to set a good example for the others and make it into adulthood, you should fix yourself," She said. "If the children see how compassionate you are, they might get hurt if they try to contact humans positively."

As she said that, an idea popped into my mind.

"Another human family came here this afternoon," I explained to my mother. "They had a child with them. I'll take some of the children with me and we can go and hunt that boy down."

Aristodemos eyed me suspiciously. "I don't know, Darnell," She said, folding her arms. "It seems too risky."

"I'll prove I'm capable of handling myself with humans," I declared, taking a few steps back. "Then you'll see I can be a good example towards the children."

For a few moments, my mother stared at me as she tried to come up with an answer. Eventually, she said, "You have one hour." She emphasized this my pointing her index finger into the air.

I smiled gratefully and exited the tree to search for my brothers.

I couldn't wait to see how this night would turn out for me.

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_Reviews are appreciated._


	3. Enter Joshua

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: I don't think Bogeymen believe in werewolves. That, and they do stay hidden, for the most part._

_BookMast3r: Good thing you're enjoying the story. Admittedly, the Bogeymen originally lived in a town just like the human village, but I decided to change it. _

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**(Joshua's POV)**

My life has always been a string of unfortunate events coming right after the other. This was undoubtedly the worst one.

My life was finally on-track in my old village, and then some appraiser comes over and convinces my parents to come over to this town because apparently, it has good business.

Yet, when we come here, I feel like it's hiding something from me. Everyone here is so misty-eyed and stone-faced. The town is foggy and there's barely any daylight, and the trees just loom over around the houses as if they're concealing something inside the forest. That may seem like something odd to pay attention to, but to me, it's rather weird.

Oh yeah, I should probably introduce myself.

My name is Joshua Christian. I turned twelve two months ago. I have short Venetian blonde hair and hazel eyes, and a light dusting of freckles across my face. I probably got most of these traits from my father. My mother has natural blonde hair and green eyes.

Currently, we'd just arrived at our new house at the edge of the town. It's a rather small piece of work, and it looks like it was put together hastily, but I won't tell my parents that. Instead, I'm assigned to go to work to improve the house a bit.

My parents are currently taking some of their items into the house, leaving me outside temporarily. Not ten seconds after they're gone and I hear a rustling sound in the forest not too far away.

Normally, I would've gotten inside the house right at that moment, but when I heard that rustling, I caught sight of a gray blur whiz through the forest, almost like a blow of wind. It was only visible for a split-second, then it vanished into the dead of night.

I was curious. I'd of thought it was some woodland animal had it not been for the gray blur. No animal I've ever seen is that quick, or looked like that. So, I dropped what I was carrying and began to inch towards the forest to see if it's still there.

"Don't go into the forest!"

Instantly, I spin around in shock, almost like someone had jabbed a knife into my back. There, standing in the middle of the field, is a girl with long brown hair and eyes. She looks to be about my age, and she has a startled look on her face.

Once I see that it's just another child, I roll my eyes as I remember something: I HATE when people yell at me all of a sudden.

"Hey, what's your problem!" I shout at her, causing her to take a few steps back. "Don't you know how to properly talk to anyone. Do you always SHOUT at everyone you meet?!"

The girl shakes her head. "No, I'm just warning you," She excused, raising her hands in defense, her hair falling over her face.

I raise an eyebrow. "What's your name?" I ask her. "And what's in that forest?"

The girl brushed her hair out of her face. "My name is Maria," She introduced, holding out her hand to me. However, before I could shake hands with her, she pulled it away.

"They didn't tell you, did they," She whispered as realization dawned upon her.

"Tell me what?" I asked, beginning to feel as if something was creeping through my skin. Maria hadn't even explained to me what was so dangerous in the town, but I already felt uncomfortable.

Maria got a little closer to me. "These woods are haunted," She claimed, her voice like a whisper. "Strange creatures live in this forest."

I stared at her for a few moments, trying to process whether she was lying or not. However, she felt so genuinely terrified and worried that I felt she was telling the truth.

"What's in this forest?" I asked, getting more intrigued by the second.

"The townsfolk call them the Bogeymen," Maria explained to me. "According to the founding fathers of this town, they are some sort of ghouls that haunt the town, especially children like us. Our parents say that if we misbehave, the Bogeymen will come and take us away."

Now I was concerned. I'd never heard of a Bogeyman, but I had heard of a ghoul. Even the town my family used to live in had told stories of them, and some townsfolk there had claimed to have sightings of them occur, especially at gravesites. Now I think I know why the townsfolk seemed so scared when I'd arrived.

"Well, how come nobody's ever left this place?" I asked. After all, it did seem like the most logical course of action.

"We don't think any other place is safe either," Maria said. Then, as if she was reading my mind, she added, "Did you town ever talk about evil spirits or demons?"

I paused, then nodded. However, one question still remained.

"Wait, how can we know this Bogeyman exists?" I asked, trying to find some hope that my parents hadn't signed a death warrant by coming here. "I mean, has anyone ever seen a Bogeyman? Do they have any proof?"

"As a matter of fact, yes!"

Now I was annoyed. In less than two minutes, two people have snuck up on me and startled me. I was beginning to wonder if everyone in this town was going to be like that.

I spun around to snap at the person who'd spoken, but stopped when I saw who the man was. He was a giant, almost six feet tall. He had an angular face, with hazel eyes like a hawk, just above a hooked nose. His chin was pointed and jutted out, and he had long brown hair that fell over his ears. He was dressed in dull brown clothing, just like everyone else in this droll town.

I turned to Maria. "Is this man your father?" I asked bluntly.

"No," She denied, sounding offended. Her eyebrows lowered as she scowled at me.

"I, lad, am Saul Thompson," The man introduced, bowing at me. He smiled at me, and I could see he had rather pointed teeth.

"Who are you?" I asked, ignoring that he'd just told me his name.

Saul folded his arms behind his back and he began pacing past me. "I am a defender of this town," He claimed in a rather stuck-up tone. "I'm in charge of the job that barely anyone else is brave enough to tackle. I'm the hunter of Bogeymen."

"And a lousy one at that," Maria commented, though Saul ignored her.

"I have proof that Bogeymen exist," Saul said. "I've captured them. They're in the cellars of this town, near the crematorium. I can show you, if you'd like."

"No," I immediately said. I was curious to see what these Bogeymen creatures were, but at the same time, I wasn't gutsy enough to come face-to-face with what Maria said was a ghoul. Maybe some other time, but definitely not now.

"It's your loss," Saul said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Sooner or later, you'll see them. Everyone has. Beastly things, those Bogeymen are. If you see a wild one, you'll never leave without losing something."

I felt a shiver up my spine. It was like everyone I'd met in this town was determined to terrify me.

"When you see a Bogeyman...and you WILL...I'll be coming to check up on you," Saul stated, followed by a malicious chuckle before he dashed off towards the town.

Maria walked up next to me. "What a crazy man," She said, rolling her eyes. "But he's right. None of us are safe in this town."

I almost felt sorry for the girl. She was clearly terrified for both of our wellbeing's. However, my dad finally showed up out of the house.

"Son, time to come in," He said. "It's getting dark."

I looked up at the skies. Indeed, the clouds were gray and were beginning to blot out the moon, making the town look even more eerie than it already was.

"By, Maria," I said to the girl, before I began to take off towards the house.

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_Reviews are appreciated._


	4. Attack

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: Joshua's the kid shown in the first chapter that arrived in town with his family. As for Saul, you're saying it's crazy to warn someone about actual monsters living in the forests?_

_BookMast3r: Well, everyone has their faults. As for Joshua and Darnell, let's just see how that turns out in this chapter._

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A Bogeyman girl lay perched on a tree branch, keeping herself hidden within the thickets of the trees. She was around twelve years old, and was rather spindly and wiry. Her long black hair fell down the sides of her head.

Currently, she was watching as a fox crept around the tree below her. Silently creeping across the tree branch, using her claw-like hands to keep herself aloft, she began to turn upside down on the branch. Soon, she was positioned right above the oblivious fox, who hadn't even noticed her.

Then, with an ear-piercing scream, she released herself from the branch and plummeted down towards the fox. However, her scream alerted the fox to her presence. Right before the Bogeyman could grab it, the fox dashed off away into the bushes while the Bogeyman landed on the ground roughly. She scrambled onto her knees, growling in disappointment.

"Devony."

The Bogeyman, identified as Devony, turned around to see Darnell leaning on the tree. The younger Bogeyman jumped a bit in surprise, having not seen Darnell arrive at the scene. She quickly began to brush off her dress, which had been dirtied when she landed on the ground.

"What brings you here, Darnell?" Devony asked as she cleared her hair of dirt and pebbles in an attempt to look fancy towards the other Bogeyman.

Darnell, her arms folded across her chest, barely hid a scoff at Devony's attempts to look impressive towards her. However, she set that aside to explain what she had in mind to her.

"So, Devony, I was near the human village this afternoon," Darnell explained, evoking a gasp of awe from the other Bogeyman. "While I was there, I saw another family move in. One of them was a boy your age."

Devony nodded in a similar manner to a young child, gesturing for Darnell to go hunting.

"I say we play your favorite game," Darnell said slyly, scratching the bark off of the tree she was leaning on with her claws.

"You mean, Human Hunting?" Devony asked excitedly. Darnell nodded in respond, a smirk on her face.

"Go tell my brothers about it," She commanded Devony, pointing a finger at the Bogeymen village. "We have one hour before we have to go home." Devony nodded and dashed off towards the village, leaving Darnell alone by the tree, smiling proudly.

**(Ten Minutes Later)**

Darnell, her brothers, and Devony hid behind a bush, staring at Joshua's house. Darnell's brother looked identical in every way, right down to their clothing. Both of them were eleven years old, and were smaller and thinner than Darnell and Devony.

"Is that it?" Devlin asked Darnell, pointing to the house. He was the younger of the twins by one minute.

"Of course it is, you idiot," Damion, the older twin, mocked and lightly struck Devlin across the head. Darnell, who had been staring intently at the house, turned her gaze to her brothers and shushed them.

"Silence!" She snapped, causing both of them to quiet down. Once all attention was on her, she pointed her index claw at the top window. "The human boy is in that room. We need to lure him to the window."

Devony, who had been scratching the ground, grabbed a pebble. "I'm a good shot," She said, holding the small rock up at Darnell. The older Bogeyman nodded, then pointed up at the house.

"Hey look, a girl's coming!" Devlin said as a brown-haired girl began to walk past the house. All four Bogeymen ducked behind the bush.

"Throw it!" Darnell urged Devony.

"But-"

"Do it!" Darnell ordered. Devony reluctantly got to her feet, took aim, and threw the pebble.

* * *

Joshua had just been putting the finishing touches on his new room, including his bed. His window hadn't been finished yet and was currently wide open.

Even as he tried to occupy himself with his work, he couldn't get the warnings administered from Saul and Maria out of his head. They haunted his mind, almost like a ghost.

"Calm yourself, Joshua," He tried to console himself as he straightened his bed sheets. "These people are probably just crazy. There are no Bogeymen or ghouls haunting this town." He forced a smile onto himself to confirm that there was nothing to be scared of.

_Dink!_

A pebble went soaring through Joshua's open window and struck the wall next to him, causing Joshua to snap up from his bed. He stared at the pebble, then at the window. Cautiously, he inched towards the window to see what was outside.

It was Maria. She was outside of his house, facing the forest.

"Maria!" He shouted down at her, diverting her attention up towards him. "What are you doing, throwing stuff at my house?"

Maria stared up at him, a confused look on her face. "What are you talking about?" She called up at him.

"You threw this pebble into my room!" He shouted, tossing the pebble out the window and down towards her. It landed at her feet. Maria stared down at it, then looked back up at Joshua.

"I didn't throw that!" She claimed. "I saw something approaching your house and- Joshua, look out!"

Before Joshua could properly respond, he was roughly grabbed around the collar by a clawed hand.

It was Darnell.

Joshua immediately began to struggle, but it was of no use. Darnell easily yanked him out through the window. As her spindly arms entrapped Joshua in her grip, she bared her fangs at him and flashed her glowing red pupils at him as they locked eyes. Below, Maria was screaming, both out of terror and to try and call for help.

Joshua screamed in surprise, but he knew he had to do something. Immediately, he lashed out and struck Darnell in the face, causing her to loosen her grip on him. The two of them tumbled off the roof of the house and landed on the ground, Joshua landing on top of Darnell.

Joshua got up first and ran towards Maria. "What is that thing?!" He cried at her, horrified.

"It's a...a Bogeyman!" Maria cried out in terror. As they did so, the other three Bogeymen leapt out of their hiding places and soared towards them, massive bat-like wings emerging from their backs. The three soared overhead of the two startled children, who huddled close together for protection. Occasionally, either of the two would try to strike out at the Bogeymen flying above, but it was of no use.

While the two were distracted, Darnell had gotten up off the ground, a hand on her sore side. She eyed the two children, and her eyes fell on Maria. Quickly, she lunged at the girl, but Joshua saw her.

"Maria, look out!" He cried, shoving Maria out of the way and causing himself to be tackled by Darnell instead. The two rolled around on the ground, and Darnell inevitably ended up on top of Joshua, pinning him to the ground.

Immediately, the other three Bogeyman stopped flying and landed on the ground, watching Darnell and Joshua. Maria was currently lying on the ground, injured from the rough fall.

Darnell was currently breathing heavily as she stared down at Joshua, her large clawed hands pinning his shoulders to the ground. Her fangs were bared like an animal, and her corpselike eyes burrowed into Joshua's own eyes. Joshua didn't even try to fight back; he knew it was pointless.

For what seemed like an eternity, Darnell kept her gaze onto Joshua as both prepared for what would happen next. Darnell widened her mouth to strike while Joshua braced himself for his end.

However, the killing blow didn't come.

Joshua felt the weight on him lessen, and he opened his eyes to see Darnell get off of him. Her breathing was ragged, but her expression calmed as her features became less tense. As he watched her, still lying on the ground, he saw how humanlike she looked when she wasn't acting threatening. However, he was still confused as to why she had spared him. The other three Bogeymen stared at her, just as perplexed as he was.

Suddenly, even heard the sound of an arrow get fired. Darnell looked up from Joshua and moved to the side as the arrow went soaring at her. She was fast, but the arrow still slashed into her arm, causing red blood to ooze from her wound. Darnell gave a gasp of pain as she held onto her injured arm. She looked up to see Saul and his cohorts, standing at the house, all three of them aiming crossbows at her.

Darnell turned to the other three Bogeymen and gave the slightest gesture in her eyes, signaling for them to flee. They obeyed and dashed off towards the forest. Joshua got on his knees and watched as they ran. He was amazed at how fast they were. They were like a blur of wind as they ran.

Darnell followed close behind, swiftly dodging the arrows flying towards her. As she retreated into the forest, for a split-second, she spun around, and her gaze locked onto Joshua. Then, she turned back towards the forest and vanished within.

And as Joshua stared off in the direction that she'd disappeared into, he knew one thing was very clear.

This wasn't the last he'd seen of her.

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_Reviews are appreciated._


	5. The Pact

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: Did you really think I'd kill off the male lead so early into the story? That would sure hurt things quite a bit._

_BookMast3r: Heh-heh...maybe you're right, but at the same time, it's not exactly an inaccurate description of some types of Bogeymen._

* * *

**(Darnell's POV)**

Now that we were safe within the forest, I could finally contemplate what I had just witnessed at that boy's house.

That boy, that HUMAN, actually saved that girl. He shoved her out of the way when I lunged at her. He could have easily been killed, but he still tried to protect her from harm.

But my mother told me humans were monsters, incapable of any feelings. After all, hadn't that infant been abandoned in the forest to die. Whoever had left it there didn't care for it, but that boy seemed to care for that girl. And hadn't I left the infant in there house as well.

A few feet away from me, Devony approached me while Devlin and Damion sat far near a different bush.

"Hey, Darnell, what was that all about back there?" She asked me, sounding more concerned than upset. "You didn't kill that human? You just let him get away."

I immediately snapped out of my thoughts and stood up tall, a few inches taller than Devony. "Don't question my actions, Devony," I asserted, jabbing a claw into her shoulder. "I keep myself to myself. I suggest you do the same."

Devony, a look of fear on her face, nodded and backed off.

I pointed off in the direction the village was. "I suggest the three of you go home," I snapped at them. "I'll be coming soon." The three younger Bogeymen all nodded and left.

The moment I was certain they were gone, I turned back towards the human house. Saul and his cronies were all there, but I didn't care.

I needed to meet that boy again.

* * *

**(Joshua's POV)**

I was currently being hugged tightly by my mother, who was muttering mushy stuff to me to console me after my recent brush with death. My father and Saul were currently arguing with each other.

"Why didn't you tell us there were ghouls in this town?" My father ranted at Saul. "My son could've been killed out there!"

"But he survived!" Saul argued back, puffing out his chest. "I was there to save him!"

Now I felt the need to speak out. "Wait a second, you didn't save me," I declared. "That monster just let me go! If she didn't, I'd be dead."

All eyes were on me now. Saul had a peculiar look in his eyes as he eyed me down, as if inspecting me to see whether I was lying or not. The awkward silence was broken by the sound of crying.

It was then we all remembered that mom had found a baby on the doorsteps of the house earlier this day. My mother was trying to nurse it back to health until she could find someone else to adopt it, but that had taken a backseat after my encounter with the Bogeymen.

"Um, son, could you take the baby upstairs?" My mother requested to me. "We'll deal with the situation ourselves."

"But, I-" I began but Saul sidestepped next to me.

"Oh, the mum's right, boy," He said in a sickly innocent tone. "You should be getting some rest upstairs. We'll deal with this like adults."

With a groan, I took the infant in my arms and headed upstairs to my room. Once I was in my room, I set the baby on my bed. It was grasping at my face with its tiny hands, which annoyed me. I got off from the bed and began to pace around the room.

"I can't believe it," I mumbled to myself. "I nearly get killed, and everyone doesn't even want to hear me out like nothing happened. That Bogeyman is still out there, waiting to get me, and my parents don't give a-"

_"Human."_

I paused, feeling a chill up my spine as I felt like another presence had entered the room. Slowly, cautiously, I turned around, and my skin paled immensely at what I saw.

There, sitting on my bed, was the same Bogeyman who had attacked me earlier. She held the infant in her arms, stroking his head with her clawed hands. Her glowing eyes stared directly into mine, yet her face was expressionless, like a corpse. She looked blind, but I knew otherwise.

I opened my mouth to scream, but she spoke first.

_"Make one sound," _She threatened. _"And I'll kill everyone in the house."_

I took a moment to comprehend her voice. It was something inhuman, unlike anything I'd ever heard. It was hard to tell whether it was a man, woman, or even child who was speaking. It was spoken in a whisper, but it reverberated around the room, making her presence feel even larger.

The Bogeyman made the lightest of nods, as if signaling for me to speak.

Lowering my voice to a whisper, I asked, "Are you some kind of demon?"

_"Would you like to find out?" _The Bogeymen asked, her eyes flashing at me. I immediately shook my head.

The Bogeyman got to her feet, still holding the baby. She walked towards me and held the infant out towards me.

_"You intrigue me, human," _She said as I took the baby. _"Risking your life to save that girl."_

I widened my eyes as I remembered how I'd shoved Maria out of the way when the Bogeyman lunged at her. The Bogeyman could only have been referring to that.

_"I think there's something peculiar about you," _She whispered, tapping her index claw on my forehead. _"Now, in exchange for the lives of your parents, you'll come out and meet me in the forest every day."_

I paused to consider this. "No," I said firmly after a while. I was met with a slap across the face from the Bogeyman. It burned. Occasionally, either of my parents would strike me if I got out of line, but those were nothing compared to how much the Bogeyman's slap stung me.

_"If that's your answer, then I guess I'll just be going on my way then," _She sneered and began to walk towards the door. I immediately realized she was heading towards where my parents and Saul were.

"Wait, no!" I suddenly whispered, taking her arm. It felt like a rock.

The Bogeyman turned around and faced me, our eyes locking into each other. _"Tomorrow," _She demanded. _"Come tomorrow. I'll be waiting for you."_

Reluctantly, I nodded and closed my eyes. When I opened them, I saw the Bogeyman smiling mischievously at me, the first expression she had made towards me. Then, she took a strand of her hair and lacerated it with her claw.

_"Take this," _She said, placing the strand into my hand. Before I could ask why she'd done this, she sliced off a lock of my own hair and placed it in her hand.

"Hey," I said, offended, as I covered my head.

_"Just as a reminder to both of us," _She reassured.

I looked down at the lock of hair in my hand for a brief moment. When I looked back up, the Bogeyman had totally vanished. I jumped a bit and looked around, but there was no trace of her.

In my right arm, the baby began giggling up at me. I groaned.

'What have I gotten myself into?" I asked myself.

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_Reviews are appreciated._


	6. Poltergeist

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: 1. Of course Saul didn't save him, Joshua even pointed that out 2. There were always POV's in the story 3. Let's not talk about that, neither of them are even fourteen 4. The summary mentions him, just not by name._

_BookMast3r: Good to know you're still comparing my stories to Lord of the Rings. _

* * *

**(Darnell's POV)**

After I had returned to the forest, I ran off towards my house near the village, in deep thought about the human boy whose name I had yet to uncover. Looking back on it, I probably should've asked him.

I didn't know what I was going to do tomorrow when Joshua came into the forest for our little meeting. I decided I'd think of what to do tomorrow. But now, I had to get some sleep after such a tiring day.

When I arrived in my home, my mother was waiting for me inside, Sitting on a rather large inside-out tree branch. Her arms and legs were crossed, and I guessed she was in a bad mood.

"I thought you'd be back sooner," She said, staring at me.

"You gave me an hour, I'm back in an hour," I pointed out, then turned to find my tree branch. However, Aristodemos called out, "Devony told me you stayed behind for something."

I froze, mentally cursing. Leave it to Devony to spill her guts to my mother.

"She said you didn't kill the boy," Aristodemos went on, not moving from the branch. "That you just let him go, and nearly got all of you killed by that trio of hoodlums led by Saul."

I could feel an itching up by spine. "Well, we lived, didn't we?" I said, trying to mitigate my mother's frustration, though I knew it was futile.

Aristodemos got up from the branch and approached me. She grabbed my shoulder, turning me around, and inspected my shoulder.

"What's this?" She asked, inspecting the cut on my shoulder I received from Saul. "Saul did this, didn't he?"

"It's just a cut," I dismissed, covering my wound with my other hand. "It'll heal eventually."

Aristodemos stared down at me, unconvinced. Then, she pushed down her sleeve a bit to reveal three large scars across her chest.

"I got these from a human," She said. "When I was your age. Don't you remember what happened?"

I stared at the tree scars and nodded, then I recounted the story she often told me of how she got them.

"When you were a child, you were captured by humans," I said, trying to recollect what she'd told me. "For weeks, they tortured you, and mutilated you, until you managed to escape."

"The man who captured me did this to me," Aristodemos said, trailing her claws onto her scars. "I managed to kill him afterwards, but it was just to defend myself. I had no other choice."

"I know, mother," Darnell said, nodding my head slowly.

"You think those humans care about you because you're a child?" Aristodemos asked. "No, they don't. They'd kill their own young, they'll do it to you, as well. Don't let them hurt you."

I nodded again, and she kissed my forehead and sent me up to my tree branch.

As I had mentioned beforehand, the tree branches are very large, to the point my mother could walk upright in them. My bed, as you could call it, was just a bunch of leaves I'd placed on the ground. I'd stolen a human blanket a few years back and used it as my own.

Today had been so tiring that I quickly landed on my makeshift bed and threw the blanket over me, more than happy to fall asleep. I laid the strand of hair I'd taken from the human boy next to my head. My eyes shut and I prepared to fall into a deep sleep.

_Whish!_

A cold breeze blew over me, causing my eyes to snap open. My eyes traced around the dark room in confusion. My tree branch had no windows of any sort, so there was no way any wind could get inside the branch. However, the breeze seemed to die down, so I tried not to think any of it and closed my eyes again.

Not ten seconds after I closed my eyes that I thought I could hear a distinct breathing sound. It was light and sounded like it was several feet away, near the door to my room. But as I stared at the door, I saw nothing there. Somewhat intimidated, I tucked my head under the blanket.

The breathing sounds persisted, but not they sounded a little closer. I kept my eyes wide open, trailing around the blanket in fear. I shuddered under the blanket, but reassured myself that nobody was in the room with me.

The breathing stopped. I gave a sigh of relief and closed my eyes. After about a minute of silence passed, I was prepared to sleep again.

Then, I heard the breathing again, and it was right next to my ear. Before I could make a move, I felt something touch my neck and squeeze down on it. My eyes popped open as I felt like I couldn't breath. I began to choke slightly and placed a hand on my neck to remove whatever was choking me. However, I couldn't feel anything.

Suddenly, a second force moved onto my throat and added pressure onto it. They felt like hands. Human hands.

My eyes widened again in horror and I opened my mouth to scream, but no intelligible sounds came out. All I could muster were gasps and choking sounds. Whatever was strangling me threw the covers off my head and lifted my head up off the ground. I thrashed around, trying to release myself from what was holding me.

It was futile. Quickly, I found my head getting slammed onto the ground repeatedly, each slam more powerful then the first. The hold on my neck was getting stronger, and I couldn't fight it.

I was slammed onto the ground one more time, and I felt a force on top of me, pinning me to the ground. I bit and clawed in a weak attempt to fight back, but it was useless. As I struggled, I thought I could see a transparent face appear above me. I couldn't make an attempt to identify it because the door slammed open.

It was my mother.

"Darnell, what are you doing?" She asked. Instantly, I felt whatever holding me release myself, and I could breath again. Instantly, I moved my hands to my throat as I struggled to breath properly after what had just transpired. I could feel fresh bruises on my throat.

I looked up at my mother, feeling timid for the first time this night.

"Mummy, can I sleep in your room?"

* * *

**(Joshua's POV)**

"It was crazy!" I was telling my parents and Saul the moment the Bogeyman left the room. "That Bogeyman, the one who nearly killed me, she was in my room! She spoke to me! She told me to meet her in the forest!"

As proof, I pulled out the strand of hair she'd given me. "She cut off her hair and gave me this," I said, holding up the strand at them. "And she cut off a strand of my own hair, too."

All three adults in the room all had the same confused looks on their faces.

"So...a Bogeyman made a deal with you?" Saul asked, rubbing the back of his head in confusion. "That doesn't happen a lot."

My parents turned to Saul. "This is serious!" My mother cried at him. "A Bogeyman is threatening our son!"

"I know, woman," Saul snapped at her. He paused to think of something, then said, "I'll have my men at this house tomorrow to look after this house, just incase this Bogeyman comes back."

"And if what if they can't protect me?" I asked, panicked. "That Bogeyman just appeared and disappeared in an instant. You think it can't do it again?"

"Joshua, go up into your room and cool off," My father told me. "We'll deal with this ourselves."

"But-"

"Do as we say," My mother ordered. I knew I couldn't talk back, so I had no choice but to obey. Slowly, I walked back up into my room, muttering under my breath.

"They want me to go into the same room where a Bogeyman confronted me," I mumbled to myself. "What is this, some sort of sick joke?"

I laid down on my bed to go to sleep, keeping one eye open to inspect the room incase the Bogeyman indeed was still here.

Several minutes passed in silence, so I began to fall asleep. I reassured myself that this Bogeyman would soon be out of my hair. However, I then stared at the hair strand laying on my drawer right next to me. I shuddered a bit and a feeling of dread replaced my hope.

Suddenly, a breeze filled the room, which spooked me. My window was closed, so there was no way any wind could get inside.

The breeze floated above me, and I could feel a faint whisper of a voice, sounding almost like the wind itself.

_"Joshua..." _I think I could hear the voice say. I froze in fear, unsure of what to do next. Had the Bogeyman come back? But this voice sounded a bit different.

A knife was pulled under the door and floated up into the air towards me.

_"Take it..." _The voice urged. The knife landed onto the bed. The wind began to dissipate.

_"You see her...kill her..." _

The whispering stopped. The wind ceased, and I felt the presence leave the room. Once I was sure it was gone, I looked at the knife on the bed. Taking it, I stared at it in thought.

There was no doubt I'd been visited by a second supernatural entity. But the real question was, could I trust it?

* * *

_Reviews are appreciated._


	7. Meeting

_BookMast3r: I've actually watched a few fake ghost videos, which kind of gave me ideas. As for LotR, yeah, hope you find more connections, I guess._

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: In a way, they kind of are. I'm not sure what you want Joshua to do, though._

_NatalieHawk: Yeah, I guess so. Hope it keeps your interest._

* * *

**(Joshua's POV)**

The next morning, Saul's two cronies came over.

The first one, Judas, was a lanky man with a pointed mustache and beard and piercing green eyes. I don't know why, but he seemed like the sort of guy parents advise their children to stay away from, which was ironic since the only reason he was here was to guard my door.

The second man, Absalom, was rather heavyset and a lumbering sort of man. He was big, but shorter than Saul. He had bright blonde hair and a long mustache to boot. He looked younger than Judas, but towered over him. Both of them carried crossbows.

"Your son will be safe with my men," Saul reassured my parents, but for some reason, I didn't feel like I was very protected. Judas was stationed outside of my room at my door while Absalom was stationed outside the house, guarding the door. What, did they expect the Bogeyman to just go over and come knocking at the door, waiting for an answer?

While I was confined to my room, I took hold of the knife that had been given to me by that unseen force last night. I stared at it and studied how sharp it was. It didn't look like a normal knife. It was rather twisted and bended, and very dark.

Gripping the knife in my hand, I walked towards the window and stared off at the forest, trying to see I she was there. The Bogeyman had told me to come into the forest, but when she found out I'd disobeyed her, she'd be coming for me.

Giving a thorough inspection of the forest far off, I stared at several different areas, trying to see if she was there. For several moments, I couldn't see a thing. I was about to move away from the window, but that was when I saw her.

It was The Bogeyman.

There she was, sitting on a rather bulky tree branch, motionless. Her hands were in her lap, her expressionless face staring straight ahead, right at me. Our eyes met.

Instantly, I dove away from the window and began to walk towards the door to tell Judas that I'd seen the Bogeyman. Before I could reach the door, I felt something grab my foot. With a yank, I dropped onto the floor.

Twisting my head around, I saw the Bogeyman, the lower-portion of her body under my bed. I gave out a silent scream, horrified at how quickly she'd gotten into my room. She dragged my towards her and clasped a clawed hand around my mouth, silencing me. Then, she dragged my under the bed with her.

* * *

For a moment, it was pitch black. I felt like I had been blinded. I couldn't tell if my eyes were open or closed. For a few seconds, I wondered if I was dead.

Then, immediately, I felt the Bogeyman dragging me upwards, and I could see a dim light. Soon, I felt myself getting ripped up from the giant roots of a tree.

Both of us landed on the marshy ground, now in the forest. The moment she let go of me, I sprang to my feet, and I could feel the knife still in my hand. Quickly, I hid it in my pocket. Now I stared at the tree that she had just pulled me from.

"How...how did you do that?" I mumbled out, petrified, pointing a shaky arm in her direction. The Bogeyman ignored me for a moment, taking the time to get to her feet. Then, she faced me.

"I told you to come into the forest, didn't I?" She snapped at me, pointing a claw in my direction. "I didn't think I'd have to come and get you."

Her voice sounded different than since I last saw her. It was more humanlike and...feminine?

It seemed she'd noticed my confused a she immediately said, in her original voice, _"Don't ever disobey me again."_

I should've been more scared. After all, I was staring down a monster. But, the longer I looked at her, the more humanlike she seemed. She had the same facial cues as a human, with the glaring eyes and frown.

As I stared at her, something seemed to catch her attention. Her angered glare was replaced with one of eagerness, and she got down on all fours, slowly stalking past me. Now I was a little creeped out. What was she up to?

She got into a pouncing position, then lunged into a nearby bush. I heard what sounded like a struggle, and an animal's scream of terror, and I saw a little rabbit come running out of the bush. It didn't get far, though, as the Bogeyman tackled it to the ground once more, holding it in place with her claws. The rabbit struggled, but it was no use.

As I watched, her mouth opened to reveal vampire-likes. She brought her mouth down towards the rabbits throat. Realizing what was about to happen, I looked away, unable to watch. In spit of that, I still heard the ensuing crunch, followed by silence, which sickened me almost as much as if I had seen it.

I finally mustered up the courage to look at what was happening. The Bogeyman was now gnawing on the rabbit's corpse, not seeming to care for me now. I could see some blood begin to dribble out, and I began to feel lightheaded.

I stumbled a few feet away, wondering if this was my chance to flee. But then I remembered the unseen force of last night, and recalled what it had told me.

_"You see her...kill her..."_

I could feel my hand reaching for the knife in my pocket, and took it out. With a quivering hand, I raised the knife over the Bogeyman's head while she was distracted. This was my chance.

But then I hesitated. I don't know why. I had my chance to end it all, but I just didn't feel the urge to land the killing blow, even on a creature that had killed an innocent animal moments before.

I closed my eyes in defeat and lowered my arm. However, I began to feel like I was being looked at, and opened my eyes to see the Bogeyman staring at me. Or, more specifically, my knife.

A feeling of dread filled me as she slowly took the knife from my hand, rubbing a claw on it in curiosity. It was then that I noticed the similarities. The twisted angles, the similar shading...I suddenly realized I had been holding the dismembered claw of a Bogeyman the whole time. I began to feel sick again.

"Where...did you get this?" The Bogeyman asked me, holding the claw up at me. As I looked at the claw closer, I saw that it was quite large. It was almost three time as long as the Bogeyman's index claw. It must've belonged to an adult Bogeyman.

The Bogeyman clearly didn't approve of my silence. "Where did you get this?" She repeated, more forceful this time. She dangled the claw in my face, and I backed up.

"Someone...gave it to me," I explained awkwardly.

"You were going to stab me with it, weren't you," The Bogeyman accused, and her eyes narrowed at me angrily, and I felt like I was staring into the eyes of the Devil himself.

I thought she was going to kill me right then and there, but instead, she simply tucked the claw into her shirt and walked past me.

"Oh well, I'd had hoped it wouldn't come to this," She said in a mocking tone as she headed towards my house. It was only then that I'd realized how close the two of us had been to my house the whole time.

"Wait, no," I begged, grabbing her arm to pull her away, but she ignored me. As she neared my house, both of us froze.

There, we both saw Saul and Absalom, the two of them standing outside the house, talking to each other. For a second, I thought I noted a hint of fear on the Bogeyman's face. Then, she turned and stalked away from the house, dragging me behind her.

The moment we were out of Saul's line of sight, The Bogeyman pushed me into a tree.

"You told them?" She asked, in a surprisingly calm tone.

At this point, I knew there was no way out of it. "Well, what was I supposed to do?" I asked her frantically. "You threatened to kill me and my family. You think I wouldn't tell Saul about this."

The Bogeyman stared at me silently, then she reeled her arm back as if to punch me. I braced myself for impact, but instead felt her fist collide with the tree. Then, she climbed up the tree and vanished in the branches above.

For a moment, I stared up at her, silently. Then, I heard her voice from above.

"Are you coming or not?"

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_Reviews are appreciated._


	8. The Treetops

_BookMast3r: Nah, Darnell wouldn't do that. And you get to find out what happens now._

_A-Plus Cassioepia: 1. Or so it seems. 2. Simple. She got in the same way she got out. 3. Well, Bogeyman are predators. 4. See Chapter 6._

* * *

Once Joshua had climbed up the tree with Darnell, he found her sitting on a rather long tree branch. Stumbling a bit, he struggled to climb onto the branch with her.

"I didn't know humans could be such stumblebums," Darnell said, amused at Joshua's attempts to accomplish the menial task of sitting onto the branch. She didn't show it, though, keeping her emotionless expression. Joshua felt his cheeks go red with embarrassment and he finally sat down on the branch, trying to keep a straight face after his humiliation.

Darnell turned to face him and crossed her legs in front of her while Joshua's legs dangled from the side of the branch.

Once both of them were properly seated, Darnell spoke.

"What's your name, human?" She asked bluntly.

Joshua gulped a bit, then answered. "My name is Joshua Christian," He said. "I just arrived in this town, Bogeyman."

"I know you're new here," Darnell replied, her eyes rolling slightly. "And my name isn't Bogeyman. It's Darnell Aswan."

"You have a name?!" Joshua blurted out and Darnell clamped a claw over his mouth to shush him. Quickly, she snapped her head over in the direction of Joshua's house, staring at Saul and Absalom to make sure they hadn't heard Joshua. She was relieved to see the two were too engrossed in their conversation to have heard him.

Turning back to Joshua, Darnell warned, "Don't raise your voice like that."

Joshua, lowering his voice to a whisper, said, "I didn't know Bogeymen had names."

"Of course we do," Darnell answered, somewhat offended, though she once again didn't show it. "Wolves have names for each other, as do birds, and bears, and even the meek rabbits. What, do you think they'd refer to each other as 'the wolf who snarls a lot', or, 'the bear with the hunched back'?"

"Do ants name each other?" Joshua asked.

"Maybe not, as ants aren't that individual," Darnell answered. "But we Bogeymen, who are smart and cunning, name each other."

"Smart and cunning, eh?" Joshua scoffed, not convinced.

"After all, we've managed to make it in this dangerous forest generations before you were born," Darnell said. Then, another question entered her mind and she asked, "How old are you?"

Joshua put up ten fingers, then closed them down to two.

"You're...twelve?" Darnell guessed.

"Oh, I didn't think you'd understand that word," Joshua admitted, feeling a little odd.

"I'm thirteen," Darnell replied. A brief silence occurred, and Darnell remembered the reason she'd made the pact with him in the first place.

"I was wondering, Joshua, why you did that thing, last night," Darnell said. "Rescuing that girl."

"Her name is Maria," Joshua said. "Of course I saved her. She's my friend. Sort of."

"How can you be her friend if you just got here?" Darnell asked. "You don't know her."

"I don't know you," Joshua retorted. Then, his eyebrows furrowed, and he added, "If you're really intelligent, why'd you and your friends attack us like you were a bunch of savages?"

Darnell did something Joshua didn't know she was capable of. She laughed. Her laughter reverberated, but it wasn't enough for Saul and Absalom to hear.

"What's so funny?" Joshua asked, scooting away a bit.

"Us? Savages?" Darnell said, and her face darkened. "The only savages around here are your kind."

Joshua became stone-faced. "We are _not _savages," He said through gritted teeth, a little astounded at how this conversation had taken such a turn.

"Of course you are," Darnell replied. "Don't deny it. Your kind is like a plague in these woods. You've disrupted this land when you moved here."

Darnell glared daggers at Darnell. "I didn't do anything wrong," He growled out in spite of his fear of her. "I didn't plague or disrupt anything."

"You cut down trees, you limit the homes of the woodland creatures, and you hunt my people," Darnell retorted angrily, pointing up a claw to emphasize each point she had made. "No creature has had that kind of indecency."

Joshua stared at Darnell, astonished at her accusations, and then stated, "But we don't go and terrorize your village, especially your children, and you hunt and kill those woodland creatures you pretend to pity. People like Saul defend this town from creatures like you!"

Darnell stood up on the branch, staring down Joshua. "Your protector, Saul?" Darnell sneered. "He's a monster. A beast. He captures my people and locks them up, doing to them nobody knows."

"If it bothers you so much, why don't you go and free your people?" Joshua asked.

Darnell turned and stared at Saul in the distance, then turned back to Joshua. "It's too dangerous," She spat out. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. My mother has her own horrific experience with barbarians like you."

"Oh really?" Joshua said. "Do tell."

"When she was our age, humans captured her," Darnell explained. "They tortured her and they cut her. She has the scars to prove it."

"May I meet your mother, then?" Joshua bluffed, though he secretly thought otherwise. With how Darnell was, he couldn't imagine talking to her mother.

Darnell stared at him coldly. "You're foolish, human," Darnell said. "Unless you change, you won't last long here. But now, you are free to go."

Joshua eyed her suspiciously, wondering if she was telling the truth. She gestured for him to leave, and he eventually crawled off the branch and began to make his way down the tree. However, as he did so, he stopped and looked up at Darnell.

"It's not true, you know," He said. "I've never killed anyone in my life." With that, he dropped from the tree and began to make his way back to his house. When he was far from earshot, Darnell got down from the tree herself.

"What a stupid boy," She sneered and made her way back towards her house.

She hadn't made it three feet when an arrow went flying towards her head.

* * *

_Reviews are appreciated._


	9. Haunted

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: You call that 'getting along well'? If you say so, buddy._

_Bookast3r: THE main character, to be precise. As for dodging it, let's find out._

* * *

Darnell felt a rush of air flying towards the side of her skull, and she instinctively moved slightly out of range. The arrow zipped right past her head, close enough to slice through a strand of her hair, and stuck into the tree next to her.

The sudden shock of the arrow caused Darnell to back up against the tree, her face turned towards the house. There, she saw Saul and his two cronies facing in her direction, all of them swinging their crossbows in the air and shouting out gibes at her.

Darnell realized very quickly how close she had been to dying, and did the first thing she could think of: _run._

Taking off in a blur of movement, Darnell ran onto the road and began to flee deep into the forest. Another advantage to being a bogeyman, she thought, was their speed. They could easily outrun a human under normal circumstances.

However, it wasn't long before she heard the sounds of horses clopping behind her. Spinning around, she saw the trio of monster-hunters within a carriage being pulled by horses. In the back of her mind, Darnell was stunned at how quickly they had managed to get into the carriage to pursue her.

Occasionally, one of the hunters would fire an arrow in her direction, but Darnell was crafty. She didn't run in a straight line, instead zipping to each side to complicate the hunters attempts to get a lock on her.

When Darnell was sure she was close enough to the village, she unexpectedly dove off the road and into the thicket of trees and bushes.

"Whoa!" Saul shouted as he yanked on the horses reigns, pulling them to a stop. The three hunters exited the carriage and got onto the ground, searching through the woods for any sign of Darnell.

"Blast it, she got away," Judas complained, stomping on the ground in frustration.

"Why don't we follow her?" Absalom suggested and was about to head into the woods when Saul grabbed him by the collar.

"Are you empty-headed, ya fool?" Saul asked, pulling Absalom back. "In that neck of the woods is death. You go in there, and you'll lose either your life, or your sanity. Whichever is most precious."

The other two hunters thought they heard a hint of grief in Saul's tone, but they didn't mention it. Then they heard an ominous howling sound carrying through the wind, and Saul gestured for the other two to get into the carriage.

"Come on lads, we're in too deep in the woods as it is," Saul claimed. "Let's get back to the town before more of those monsters come."

* * *

**(Darnell's POV)**

I watched in satisfaction as the three hunters returned to the village.

"That'll teach them to come wandering into my part of the forest," I sneered, sharpening my claws on the bark of the tree. However, then I remembered the strands of hair that had been lacerated by the arrow shot at me.

"That was too close," I whispered, feeling the missing strands of my hair. Then I felt the scar on my arm that I'd received from Saul the night before.

"I need to stop being so careless," I whispered to myself.

If I kept getting so clumsy, there was a good chance Saul and his cronies may actually get me someday...

I pushed the thought out of my head. "I'm too smart for Saul to get me," I reassured myself as I headed towards the bogeymen village. I repeated this as I returned to my home.

Sure enough, my mother was waiting for me. From the look on her face, I could tell she wasn't happy.

"Where were you this morning?" She asked me once I returned. "Your brothers were worried about you."

"I went hunting, killed a rabbit," I said, leaving out my meeting with the human boy. I knew she would never approve if she knew what I had been doing.

Aristodemos stared at me, unamused. I was beginning to feel a prickly feeling down my spine as she glared right through me. To prevent a scolding, a mumbled out a "Sorry for leaving so early." I then rushed into my room to fall asleep despite it being early, utterly worn out.

As I closed my eyes and prepared to sleep, I felt something land softly on the floor next to me. Springing up into the air and landing on all fours, I inspected what had fallen.

It was the carcass of a weasel I killed a month ago. I'd hung it up on the side of the wall after that had happened. As I stared at the body, I began to feel uneasy. I remembered hanging it up. It was in a way that it couldn't come loose.

Unless somebody unloosed it.

Then I remembered last night. The strange breathing. The feeling of someone choking me. The transparent face.

Hesitantly, I rehung the dead weasel back onto the wall. As I did so, I stared around the room, trying to see if someone was watching me. I couldn't find anyone else in the room, though.

After that, I rested with one eye open.

* * *

**(Joshua's POV)**

As it turned out, Saul's men had left before I had gotten into the house. They hadn't noticed me sneak back in, which made me wonder if they'd known I had been missing. Nevertheless, I snuck back upstairs and into my room without making a sound.

I flopped onto the bed, face-first, trying to get some rest as I knew I'd have to meet Darnell again the following day.

I hadn't rested for even a minute when I felt something tap me on the shoulder. Jumping back up, I expected to see Darnell or some other Bogeyman in the room.

I didn't see a Bogeyman, but I saw something just as shocking.

Sitting at the edge of the bed was a see-through man. Aside from being transparent, he looked like any other human being. He had very light brown hair and a mustache and beard, and blue eyes. There was a green aura around him as well.

For a moment, he stared off at the wall. Then, he turned to stare at me.

I jumped backwards in shock, but didn't scream. Probably my encounters with Darnell had nullified by reactions a bit. Nevertheless, I asked, shakily, "Who are you."

"Someone you've met before," The man said. "Last night."

I immediately remembered the presence in my room, the apparition that had given me the claw of a Bogeyman and commanded me to slay Darnell. "That was you?" I asked, uncomfortable. "You're...a ghost?"

"I saw everything that happened with you and Darnell," The Ghost said.

"How do you know her name?" I asked, suspicious.

"I saw how you hesitated," The Ghost said, ignoring my question. "I think you empathize with that creature."

"I'm not a murderer," I said defiantly, though I was still backed up away from the Ghost.

"Don't think of it as murder; think of it as self-defense," The Ghost said as he floated close to me. His eyes darkened and then he continued.

"You may think it'll work out between you and that monster," He said, coming a few inches away from my face. "But you're wrong. Darnell doesn't care about you, and if you don't obey her..." He made a neck-slitting gesture to finish.

I remained silent, unsure of what to say.

"You'll see," The Ghost said and started to vanish. "You'll see that I'm right..."

Then he disappeared.

* * *

_Reviews are appreciated._


	10. Advise

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: Yeah, the ghost had already been introduced at that point. _

* * *

**(Darnells's POV)**

I awoke in the afternoon to Damion and Devlin poking and prodding my cheek with their claws, something they did to wake me up. I flashed my red eyes in their face to silently warn them to stop doing that. As I studied their expressions, I saw that they both looked just as tired as I was. Damion had very dark rings around his eyes and Devlin was practically leaning on his shoulder.

I was annoyed that they had no respect for my rest, but at the same time, I was intrigued. They were obviously tired, so why would they bother to wake me up unless it was important?

"Mom wants to talk to you," Devlin yawned out.

Now that got my attention. No matter what the case, if Aristodemos wanted to discuss something with anyone, they had to listen. Child or adult, it didn't matter, and it was just about always important.

I got off my bed. I was very tired, but Bogeyman can move quickly even when they're at a stage of weakness. Sprinting out the door, I rushed to Aristodemos' branch.

Sure enough, my mother was half-lying, half-sitting on her own bed, facing the door once I came in. I brushed the strands of hair out of my face and forced a smile as I slowly entered through.

For a moment, I stood at the door, awaiting what Aristodemos had to say.

"Were you at the human village?" She asked bluntly. For a few seconds, I didn't fully hear what she had asked due to my drowsiness. But, the question soon sunk in, and I felt like Aristodemos had stabbed me with her index claw.

Has there ever been a time when someone asks you a question or says something that warrants a reply, but you're too nervous to actually say something in response. That described what I was going through perfectly. If I told the truth, then she'd chastise me for going to the village so early, or do something else. If I lied, and said I hadn't gone there...well, then I'd have lied to my mother. And she can tell whenever I lie.

It appeared Aristodemos wasn't content with my silence, as she repeated, "Were you at the human village?"

I began to scrape my arms with my claws as I struggled to find an answer to her question, but my head felt empty. When I failed to respond once more, Aristodemos said, with a hint of anger in her tone, "Killed a rabbit, you said. If you'd actually done that, rather than do what I _know _you did, then you wouldn't be acting like a human cut out your tongue, would you?"

"I was only there for a few seconds," I said, feeling like a spider was creeping up my spine.

My mother didn't buy it, as I could tell from her frustrated glare. "Few seconds?" She said. "Do you go into a wolf den, and then come out with the excuse you were only there for a 'few seconds'."

I could tell she was getting angrier with me, and I didn't know what to do to calm her. However, I definitely didn't help when I blurted out, "Humans aren't wolves, mother."

The glare Aristodemos flashed at me made me feel like I'd rather be in a wolf den.

"Darnell, I've gone to the human village at times," Aristodemos said as she moved to a corner of the branch. There were three cellar spiders there.

"When you have to pick one of, you pick one of," She continued, and proceeded to pick one of the spiders out of the corner and crush it between her claws. "It's like sticking a finger into a bee nest. You only stay there for as long as you can without getting stung."

"Mother-"

_"Hold you tongue, child!" _Aristodemos snapped at me, raising her voice unexpectedly. Then, continuing as if she hadn't yelled, Aristodemos continued.

"It's dangerous to stick your finger into a bee nest," Aristodemos said. "However, what do you think would happen if you jammed your whole hand into that bee nest?" She raised her open palm up to her face.

"You'd get stung," I answered.

"Exactly," Aristodemos said, and she finally smiled. I was relieved, until she added, "Don't think I didn't notice that scar and your lacerated hair."

The relief evaporated, and was once more replaced with anxiety.

"You're getting clumsy, Darnell," My mother scolded. "And if one of those humans catches you, don't think I'll be there to come get you out of trouble."

Feeling like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, I exited the room and closed the door behind me. Slowly, I slid down next to the door and slumped down, feeling exhausted; then confused.

I scratched my head as I wondered about something. There were two people in the village who gave me advise; one of them was my mother. The problem was, the other person usually gave advise that conflicted that of my mother.

At this point, I felt like I needed some advise from that other person.

* * *

"I know it's weird that I should be asking you this, especially since I just received advise from my mother," I said once I reached his tree. "Well, there's this boy in the village, and I talked to him. He talked almost like a Bogeyman, and he had a similar thought process to us. My mother says the humans are dangerous, but I'm not sure about him. What do you think, Mustachio?"

Mustachio sat on his chair, a serious look on his face as he tried to figure out how to answer my question.

Of course, Mustachio wasn't his real name. His true name was Asthik Vanguard, but I call him Mustachio because of his long mustache that graced his face. He doesn't seem to mind. Mustachio was a close friend to my mother when they were my age, but nowadays, they've separated. He's like a father to me, especially since my real father is dead. Whenever I need advise, he's there to provide it, like now.

"Darnell, when your mother thinks of humans, she thinks of a rabid beast that should be killed," Mustachio explained to me. "But, there's an element to a human that is like us. And you may have found it."

I pulled at a few strands of my hair. "I did?" I asked, confused.

"Humans are a very mysterious thing on this Earth," Mustachio continued. "They are capable of such evil acts, but they are capable of good things too."

Normally, I listen to what Mustachio says respectfully, but once I heard that, I scoffed.

"Good thing?" I asked. "What good thing could come from them?"

"Maybe they're wondering that about us," Mustachio replied. Unlike my mother, he never raised his voice at me, even if I made a rude comment.

I folded my arms at his statement. "Are you saying that they think of us what we think of them?" I asked. Mustachio nodded.

I came here for answers, but now I was just more confused. However, I think I knew how to solve my predicament now. "Okay, I'll think about it," I said as I got up and began to leave. "By, Mustachio."

I closed the door and flew up into the sky. As I did, I wondered if it was a bad thing that I was now headed right to the place my mother had advised me not to go to.

* * *

_Reviews are appreciated._


	11. Compromise

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: Aristodemos isn't exactly the best other figure..._

* * *

"So, you found this baby lying in front of the door?" Maria said as she cradled the infant on Joshua's bed. Joshua nodded.

"I don't know how it got there, especially without anyone noticing," He admitted, scratching his head.

"Maybe a Bogeyman did it," Maria sarcastically suggested, then broke into a giggle to somewhat lighten the mood. Joshua, upon hearing this, laughed as well, but nervously. Darnell suddenly entered his mind, and he wondered if she had something to do with it.

Joshua sat on the bed with Maria. "Could you take the baby to my mother?" He asked. Maria nodded and left the room with the infant in her arms.

The moment she was gone, Joshua was about to lay down and rest, but fate wasn't kind to him. No sooner had Maria closed the door that Joshua felt a pair of clawed hand grip his legs.

"You have got to be kidding me," Joshua said, followed abruptly by him getting yanked under the bed.

* * *

Darnell yanked Joshua out from under the tree roots. Joshua was coughing and he had mud and twigs stuck in his face and hair.

"What are you doing?" He asked as he wiped the mud from his face. "I thought I only had to visit you once a day?"

"Yeah, well I'm making a compromise on that," Darnell said with a smirk on her face.

Joshua, however, wasn't in the mood for any of Darnell's compromises. The moment he managed to wipe the dirt from his face and pull the twigs out of his hair, he began to walk away from Darnell.

"Where are you going?" Darnell asked, folding her arms.

"Back to the village," Joshua said, turning around briefly to sneer at her. "And I'd like to see you try and stop me."

Darnell tried to stifle laughter. "Okay, boy," She said in a mocking tone. "But, I wouldn't go in that direction."

Joshua turned to face her, but didn't stop walking. "And why noAAAAUGHHH!" He was cut off when he walked right off the edge of a cliff that had been obscured by a line of bushes. With a scream, he plummeted off the edge of the cliff.

Darnell stood in the same spot, her arms folded, and didn't even flinch when she heard the sound of Joshua splashing into a river below.

Darnell extended her wings and soared off the cliff, flying downwards towards the river below. Landing on the shore, she stood with a smug smirk as Joshua, soaked from head to toe, dragged himself out of the river.

"Did you have a nice swim?" She asked in an innocent tone.

"I hate you," Was all Joshua said as she spat lake water out of his mouth.

"Well, never mind that, Joshua," Darnell said dismissively. "Anyways, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."

"Not interested," Joshua denied, standing straight up. With that, he shoved past Darnell and began to make his way into the forest, unaware of which direction he was going in.

Darnell initially rolled her eyes, irritated at Joshua's defiance, but she tensed up as she recognized the area Joshua was heading towards.

"Wait, Joshua, don't go in there," She warned in an unusually panicked voice. Joshua stopped, a little put off at Darnell's change in tone, and he turned to face her.

"Or what?" He asked. As he did so, he heard somewhat growl in the bushes he was walking towards. Cautiously, Joshua turned towards the bushes, and began trembling as a rustling sound came bounding towards him.

As he watched, three black bears raced out of the bushes, straight towards him. Joshua screamed in terror as he was tackled by the three of them, the force knocking him on his back.

"No, please don't, don't do it!" He cried out frantically, but it was then that he realized that all three bears were little cubs, barely up to his knee. He stared up at them as they looked down at him with curious expressions.

"Why aren't you three incredibly cute," He said, raising his finger to tickle their noses. The bear cubs began licking his face in response.

"Hey, Darnell, will you look at this?" He asked as the bears all snuggled up on him. However, Darnell still had the panicked expression on her face, and then, she switched to aggression mode.

"Those things are dangerous!" She said, tossing all three cubs off of Joshua and yanking him to his feet. She pulled him behind her.

"They're cubs," He said, but Darnell wasn't listening.

"I say we kill them!" She suggested and extended her claws at them. Bad move.

The cubs, upon seeing Darnell's display of violence, all began shouting out for help. As Darnell displayed her fangs and claws at the cubs, both she and Joshua heard the sound of something bigger heading their way.

"Uh-oh," Joshua whispered as the bear cubs mother lumbered into view, an angry snarl on her face as she saw the two children. The three cubs ran behind her and hid, crying out for her protection.

The moment Darnell saw the size of the black bear, she lowered her claws and her angry face switched to that of utter terror. The thought of killing anything immediately left her mind. Unfortunately for her, the black bear still perceived her as a threat to her cubs.

With a growl, the black bear charged at Darnell and swatted her, knocking her onto the ground roughly. Joshua stumbled backwards and fell over as well, but the bear ignored him. In her eyes, Joshua was no threat and didn't have to be dealt with.

Darnell was too stunned to try and get up, so she couldn't react when the bear lumbered towards her and pinned her to the ground. Darnell thrashed underneath the bears' paws, but it was a futile attempt. She was nowhere near as powerful as the bear.

Joshua quickly got to his feet. He saw Darnell, utterly powerless, and he saw that he had the perfect chance to escape. The bear attention was on Darnell, who was in no position to stop him from getting away. But, he hesitated to leave.

"Hey, let her go!" He cried and tackled the bear, trying to knock her off of Darnell. It was a futile attempt, though, and the bear simply swatted Joshua away before turning her attention back to Darnell.

Joshua searched for a weapon, but all he could find was a tree branch. Desperately, he grabbed the tree branch and charged at the bear, striking it repeatedly with it. Thoroughly annoyed, the bear temporarily forgot about Darnell and turned her attention towards Joshua, who suddenly realized what trouble he was in.

The bear turned to face him. Joshua, desperately, pointed the stick at the bear to fend it off, but the bear simply broke the stick in two with one swipe of her paw. Joshua was utterly defenseless now. Slowly, the bear got onto her hind legs, utterly towering over Joshua, who could only raise his hands in defense.

Before the bear could do anything else, Darnell quickly scraped the bear's fur with her claws. The bear growled out in surprise, and Darnell took the opportunity to scratch the bears arm, drawing blood. The bear growled out in pain, and Darnell raced towards Joshua and grabbed him by the arm. Both children then took off running.

When they were out of reach from the bear, Darnell extended her wings and flew up the cliff with Joshua in her grip. The two landed back on the cliff and they rolled on the ground. They came to a stop eventually, both of them gasping in shock at their close encounter.

"We...we made it," Joshua whispered in disbelief. Then, he sprang to his feet and shouted, "We made it!"

Darnell, however, stared at Joshua in shock. "You...you saved my life," She whispered in shock.

"Yeah, that too," Joshua said dismissively. He then looked up at the sky and saw it was beginning to get dark.

"Hm, looks like we should find a place to stay for the night," He said, and turned to Darnell. "Are you coming?"

Darnell continued to stare at him for moment, then she snapped out of it and nodded her head, saying, "Sure, Joshua."

* * *

_Reviews are appreciated._


	12. Nighttime and Morning

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: You didn't know? Looks like someone needs to pay more attention._

_AlecReyes20: Well, Darnell is a Bogeyman, you can't expect her to have all the same responses as a human. Also, I don't know, I think there may be weirder interspecies relationships out there._

_NatalieHawk: Who would?_

* * *

Nighttime reached quicker than had been expected. In that time, Darnell and Joshua hadn't even gotten to either village yet, and were instead in the middle of the forest. In that time, it had also started raining heavily, forcing the two to seek shelter underneath the overgrowth of trees.

Currently, the two sat down in next to the large trees, close to each other. Darnell was huddled up next to the tree, trying to avoid getting soaked in the rain, her arms wrapped around her legs. Joshua simply lay on the tree, his arms and legs spread out.

For what seemed like hours, the two sat silently next to the tree, both acting like the other wasn't even there. Eventually, though, Darnell spoke.

"That was, uh, pretty brave back there," She commented in a dry tone. "The way you saved me from that bear."

Joshua turned his head in the opposite direction. "Yeah, don't get your hopes up, it was a one time thing," He said, ruffling his hair. "The next time you do something stupid and get yourself into a dangerous situation, don't expect me to save you."

Darnell briefly flashed back and remembered how her mother had told her something similar that afternoon, hours beforehand.

"It's weird," Joshua unexpectedly.

"What is?" Darnell asked in an uninterested tone.

"The Bogeyman is a girl," He answered. Darnell turned her head around and stared at him.

"Well, what did you think?" She asked somewhat offended. "Did you think we were a one-gender species. That everyone was a male. How do you think more Bogeymen would be created?"

Joshua opened his mouth to respond, only for Darnell to say, "Don't answer that."

The two fell silent once more. After a while, Joshua yawned and rested his head on Darnell's shoulder.

"What are you doing?" She asked, pushing Joshua's head off her shoulder.

"Going to sleep, what else?" He asked in a tired tone. "It's too late for us to go to the village."

Darnell reluctantly let Joshua rest his head on her shoulder. She yawned her herself and was about to fall asleep as well when Joshua added, his head still on her shoulder, "You know, if we get eaten by some wild animal while we're sleeping, I'm blaming you."

Darnell stared at him for a moment, then rolled her eyes and fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

Darnell woke up early in the morning to the sounds of birds chirping. The raining had stopped, and the sun was shining brightly in the cloudless sky.

She turned her head to see that Joshua was still asleep, resting on her shoulder. Darnell sighed, and the thought crossed her mind that she could take Joshua back to his room and hope nobody had noticed he had been missing.

_Darnell..."_

Darnell froze as she heard the whisper of a voice, almost sounding like the breeze of the wind. Quickly, she sprang to her feet, her claws extended as she scanned the area, trying to see who was watching them.

Out of the corner of her eyes, a blue mist blew across the forest. Darnell, intrigued, followed it, leaving Joshua to sleep by the tree.

_"Darnell..." _The voice repeated, a bit of an edge to it. Darnell slowed down her pace as she slowly stalked after the fist.

"Who are you?" She asked in a demanding tone. As the words flew out of her mouth, the mist blew across the face, and Darnell felt a shiver across her face. It wasn't like a simple blast of wind; it stung her flesh.

_"Stay away from Joshua," _The voice warned Darnell.

For a moment, Darnell was afraid, unsure of what was talking to her. The mist hadn't moved, and remained in front of her. After a while, Darnell scowled at the mist.

"What are you?" She asked. Another thought crossed her mind, and she added, "Are you the thing that's been tormenting me as I sleep?"

The mist didn't move, not responding to Darnell's question. Eventually, Darnell moved towards the mist, her arm outstretched towards it. Instantly, the mist swirled in front of her and unleashed a powerful blast that collided with Darnell, sending her flying into a nearby tree. Slowly, she slid down the tree, wounded.

_"Stay away from Joshua!" _The voice repeated, shouting for the first time. Then, right before Darnell's eyes, the mist dissipated.

Darnell breathed in heavily, clutching her stomach. When she had gotten control of her breathing, she got to her feet. She was too weak to walk, so she extended her wings and flew towards where Joshua had been sleeping. However, when she got there, Joshua was gone.

"Um, Joshua?" Darnell whispered out, searching the forest. She briefly wondered if some animal or another Bogeyman had gotten to him, but then she recognized the footprints of humans, and she guessed that they had come to retrieve him.

Somewhat content that Joshua was safe, Darnell turned around and headed home.

* * *

**(A Few Minutes Beforehand)**

Joshua had been soundly sleeping next to the tree, unaware that Darnell had left.

"Boy, get up!" A voice shouted, followed by a rough hand grasping Joshua's arm and hoisting him to his feet. Joshua woke up with a start and found himself staring into the eyes of Judas and Absalom.

Both men looked very angry, as well as exhausted.

"Oh, I didn't know you two were-" Joshua started but was cut off.

"Do you know the panic your parents went through when they found out you were missing?!" Judas shouted, shaking Joshua by the arm. "Your mother nearly had a heart attack. Saul sent us out to get you, and we had to spend the whole damned night looking for you!"

"I'm, uh, sorry..." Joshua mumbled out.

"Oh, you'll be sorry, alright!" Absalom responded as he and Judas began to drag Joshua onto the road and towards the village. "Just wait when we tell your parents that you spent a whole night in the forest!"

Joshua gulped. Secretly, he hoped Darnell was doing better than him.

* * *

_Reviews are appreciated._


	13. Confined

_Al Drin Hoshizora: As much as we'd hate to admit it, men and women didn't exactly have the same rights back then. I doubt even now. _

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: Joshua just wanted something to lie on. He couldn't care less if it was Darnell._

_BookMast3r: Yeah, that ghost's going to keep coming back. And Joshua's parents are the least of his problems..._

* * *

**(Darnell's POV)**

As I walked back to my tree, it dawned upon me that my mother wouldn't be happy that I'd spent the night outside. I braced myself and opened the door, letting myself into the tree.

Aristodemos was standing in the living room waiting for me. She had a scowl on her face, and I knew she was angry.

"Look, mother, I-"

Before I could finish my statement, Aristodemos walked towards me and slapped me across the face. It stung like a scorpion sting to the face, and I sprang backwards in shock and pain, my hand clutching my burning cheek.

"Where were you this night?" Aristodemos shouted at me.

"Well, I went to see Mustachio..." I started to explain, but my mother cut me off.

"You were with Asthik Vanguard?' She asked, frustrated. "I thought I told you to keep away from him."

Yeah, my mother had always advised me to have nothing to do with Mustachio. I think it had something to do with their varying opinions about humans, and she thought that would make him a negative influence over me.

"Well, not for the whole night," I pointed out. "I got attacked by a bear, and I spent the night outside." I brushed the back of my head awkwardly, feeling my stomach churn as Aristodemos stared at me.

"Darnell, you are confined to this tree for the rest of the day," Aristodemos told me. She pointed a finger at my branch, and I hesitantly obeyed and walked towards my branch.

As I entered my room, I caught sight of Damion and Devlin, staring at me from the shadows. Damion mockingly shook his head in a disappointed fashion.

"Oh, quiet down, will you?" I snapped at them, and they vanished to their room, their snickers echoing through the tree.

Once my brothers were gone, I entered into my room and fell down onto my bed. I sighed heavily, wondering how Joshua was doing. It had to be better than what I was going through.

* * *

**(Joshua's POV)**

My parents had confined me to my room after Saul's men brought me home. They were both relieved and upset at me when I returned, but I nevertheless got a bit of a verbal thrashing from both of them before I was sent to my room.

I sat down on my bed, thinking of what to do. I couldn't leave my room until my parents said so, which left me with little options.

I stared at Darnell's hair strand as it lay on the dresser. I don't know why I'd kept it with me. I should have given it to Saul or something.

The door opened behind me, and I turned around to see who had entered.

Speak of the Devil. It was Saul.

The man paced into my room silently, walking right past me. I kept silent, waiting for what he planned to say.

Saul strode right up to the dresser, and took Darnell's hair strand up in his hand. He dangled it in front of his face, then he turned to face me.

"You kept the strand, eh?" He asked me, waving the strand in front of my face.

I gulped, unwilling to answer.

When I didn't reply, Saul stared at me suspiciously. "Just what were you doing in that forest?" He asked me slyly.

I started to realize he was on to me, and I began to murmur. "Well, I was just, uh..." I trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"It's not right to lie to your elders," Saul berated me. "Especially ones who only want to protect you."

I sighed, and rubbed by hair.

"Tell me boy, did you go out to meet the Bogeyman?" He asked me, leaning forward. I instinctively leaned backwards.

"Well, maybe," I said, and mentally slapped myself for telling Saul the truth.

Saul straightened up. "I should have known," He said, placing the hair strand back on the dresser. "You want to protect your family, and that means risking your own safety in the process. Isn't that a remarkable position to be in."

I shrugged in response.

"She talks to me," I told him, hoping to give him some insight on Darnell.

"Oh, she talks to you," Saul said in a childish tone. "What, did you think I didn't know that?"

I stared at him, confused. "What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Of course Bogeymen talk, it ain't anything knew," Saul said, pacing around the bed. "I've known they could talk since I was a lad."

He stopped pacing. "But, the ability to talk doesn't make them sane," He pointed out. "Those Bogeymen are as savage as the wolves and bears that inhabit that darned forest."

I smirked, remembering how a bear had actually attacked me and Darnell the other day. However, Saul unexpectedly pulled me to my feet.

"Believe me, Joshua, you don't know what those Bogeymen are like," Saul murmured as he held me in front of my window, giving me a view out at the woods.

"I know about them, trust me," Saul continued, and turned to leave. However, just before he left, he stopped and said, "You know, you could always come to the crematorium if you want more information."

With that, he exited the room, leaving me alone.

I stared at the door where Saul had left, wondering about his words. However, my thoughts were abruptly cut off when I saw a shadow signifying that someone was at the window, and felt a presence behind me.

"Ah!" I shouted out as I spun around, expecting to see a Bogeymen. However, I calmed down when I saw who it was.

"Hey, you want to play ring around the rosie?" Maria asked as she hung upside down from the window. "You haven't done anything with the other children in this town."

* * *

_Reviews are appreciated_


	14. Visit

_Al Drin Hoshizora: You may very well have a point there._

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: That is nothing compared to what is coming. As for Darnell and Joshua, just keep reading._

* * *

It was early the next morning that Joshua had gotten up from his bed. This time, he wasn't going to wait for Darnell to come get him. He'd come to her instead.

He knew he couldn't just go through the door, since Saul and his men were most likely there, waiting to stop him. Instead, he went for a less conventional method: he climbed through the window.

It wasn't a short fall, so when he dropped onto the ground below, it hurt, but not to the point that he could no longer walk. The second he recovered from the fall, he hobbled towards the forest and prayed he wouldn't come across any other Bogeyman before Darnell.

The moment he was within the forest, he whispered to himself, "I can't believe I made it." Then, he started to limb deeper into the forest.

Unbeknownst to him, Saul and his men were standing next to the house and had watched the whole thing. "That's right, lad, go in there and meet your Bogeyman," Saul sneered, folding his arms.

Absalom walked up next to Saul. "Yeah, but boss, isn't it our job to protect the children?" He asked.

"If the boy wants to get himself hurt, I won't stop him," Saul replied with a smirk. "Maybe it will teach him not to go messing with monsters." With that, he gave the signal for his men to return to the rest of the town.

As they left, Saul briefly turned around and stared at the forest, in the direction Joshua had disappeared into. He stared at the woods for a moment, then turned and left.

* * *

"Darnell, are you there?" Joshua asked as he walked through the forest. The forest looked a little more different than usual. Before, it looked dreary, damp, and eerie. Now, there was something of a brightness and vivid colorfulness to it.

In spite of this, there was still something cryptic about it. He was totally unaware of his surroundings, and he didn't know if something was watching him.

_SWOOSH!_

Joshua felt a blast of wind brush behind him, and he instinctively spun around, thinking he'd been caught by another Bogeyman. For a second, he saw a blur of gray and black, before it finally took shape, revealing Darnell.

"Don't scare me like that," Joshua told her, putting a hand on her shoulder as he tried to get his heart rate back to normal.

Darnell casually brushed his hand off. "I have to admit, you learn quickly," She told him. "This time, I didn't have to come get you."

"Yeah, well Darnell, there was a place I wanted to show you," Joshua told her.

Darnell raised an eyebrow. "Is it in the village?" She asked suspiciously. "Joshua, don't tell me you're trying to set a trap for me, are you? Because I was just starting to grow fond of you..."

"No, it's not like that," Joshua snapped at her.

Darnell stared at him for a moment, then she turned around. "Not interested," She said. Before Joshua could reply, pitch-black, bat-like wings sprang from her back.

"What the-" Joshua started, but caught himself in time. Darnell's wingspan was enormous, almost twice as long she was tall. Her wings started flapping at a very quick rate, to the point that it soon became a blur.

Joshua could tell Darnell was about to take flight, so he instinctively dove towards her. Darnell flew up into the air, and Joshua grabbed her leg, causing him to be carried off with her. Darnell flew off above the forest, carrying Joshua with her.

"Oh my goodness!" Joshua started as he practically dangled from Darnell's leg, hanging on for dear life. It was only when Darnell had lifted off above the trees and felt a weight on her leg that she realized that Joshua was holding onto her.

"Hey, what are you doing?" She asked, struggling to fly into the air. "Get off of me!"

"I would, but I'm afraid I'll fall to my death!" Joshua replied as he clung onto her leg. Darnell sighed and reached down, grabbing Joshua by the collar and hoisting him up into the air. Locking him in an embrace, she prepared to float downwards.

Suddenly, an arrow went spiraling towards the two. Before Darnell could avoid it, the arrow stabbed into her shoulder. Darnell let out a gasp of shock as she felt warm blood oozing from the wound, and she started to lose consciousness. Eventually, she started spiraling downwards, still holding onto a screaming Joshua.

Far off, Saul and his men watched as the two plummeted.

"Come on, let's go get them!" Saul urged, and the three took off in their carriage, riding off into the forest.

* * *

"Um, Darnell?" Joshua asked as he and Darnell plummeted down towards the ground. Darnell had totally lost consciousness as a result of her injury, and couldn't fly as a result. Joshua was practically trapped in her grasp.

Joshua stared down and saw that both of them were falling hard, and he knew he had to do something. Reaching out, he grabbed the back of Darnell's hair and yanked it, jerking her head up. Almost like a puppet, Darnell was pulled up moments before hitting the ground, and soared through the trees.

Joshua practically steered Darnell, struggling to avoid hitting the trees. Eventually, Darnell's eyes fluttered open, and she saw that she wasn't dead. Upon seeing what was happening, she regained control, and flew up into the air once more. Holding onto Joshua, she flew up into the air and towards the cliffside.

Once the two were at the top, Darnell roughly dropped Joshua onto the cliff before landing herself. Once she was on the ground, she stared at the arrow, lodged in her shoulder. It wasn't in too deep, though. Darnell grabbed the arrow, and began to try and yank it out. The first jerk, however, caused her to scream out in pain.

Joshua winced when he saw the agony she was in, but he couldn't bare to see the arrow in her any longer. Quickly, he walked towards her, grabbed onto the arrow, and gave a hard pull. Quickly, the arrow slipped out of Darnell's flesh, revealing a bloody shoulder.

Darnell shouted out in pain and clutched her wounded shoulder. For a few minutes, neither of them said anything. As Darnell tried to ease her wounds, Joshua stared at the arrow in his hand. Eventually, he bitterly snapped it in two and tossed both pieces off the side of the cliff.

Eventually, Darnell turned to stare at him. "Why did Saul do that?" She asked him, still rubbing her shoulder.

Joshua tried to find the right words to answer without offending Darnell. "Well, you see, he's..."

"A monster hunter?" Darnell guessed, taking the words right out of Joshua's mouth. She stood up and started pacing around. "Typical. We're just monsters to him. What more could I have expected from a human?"

Now Joshua was offended. "We're not all like him, you know," He retorted angrily. Darnell responded by baring her fangs and flashing her wings at him.

"Don't act like that," Joshua berated. "I saved your life, remember. If it wasn't for me, both of us would be dead right now."

Darnell's features softened a bit. Eventually, she sat back down.

"Thanks for saving me," She whispered after a while. "I wish there were more humans like you. I guess you're one of the rare good ones Mustachio talks about."

"Mustachio?" Joshua asked, trying to stifle his laughter. "Who's that?"

"He's a really cool Bogeyman who teaches me things mother won't," Darnell explained. "He once told me that your kind is capable of great evil and great grood."

Her face fell and she added, "My mother doesn't like him."

"Well, he sounds very wise," Joshua said. "And maybe you should listen to him more often. I'm not a 'rare' good human; there are lots of good people out there."

"Well, I have yet to see one that isn't bad besides you," Darnell retorted, folding her arms. After a pause, she asked, "What was that place you wanted to show me?"

Joshua smiled. "I'll show you," He said, and got up. "Come on, follow me."

* * *

_Reviews are appreciated._


	15. Faith

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Well, what would you do if a Bogeymen set foot in your land?_

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: Oh please... what would the kids look like?_

_BookMast3r: Well, looks like you get to find out, now._

* * *

Joshua led Darnell through the forest, practically on the sidelines of the village. During that time, Joshua had bandaged Darnell's shoulder with very long grass. It had stopped the bleeding at the moment.

Finally, the two arrive a large building, larger then any other house in the village.

"What is that?" Darnell whispered. She then heard faint singing coming from within the building, and she repeated, "What is _that_?"

"We call this a church," Joshua explained. "It's where we participate in our worship."

"Who do you worship?" Darnell asked, intrigued.

Joshua paused on that. He wasn't quite sure how to properly explain things like religion or belief to a Bogeyman without confusing her more. He decided to be as blunt as possible.

"Well, there's a creator of the world," He tried to explain to Darnell. "He made everything and everyone. Thus, we worship him."

Darnell stared at him, bemused. "And, you know he is real, how?" She asked.

Joshua nearly gagged when he heard that. "We just know," He claimed.

Darnell fluttered her eyes in an unconvinced manner. "How can you know what you cannot see?" She asked him, trailing a hand over Joshua's head.

"That's why it's called belief, and faith," Joshua replied, somewhat offended. "There are many things that we haven't seen, yet so many believe in. Like, like..."

"Bogeymen?" Darnell guessed. "I bet you believed in us long before you met me."

Joshua had no choice but to nod, as he knew she was right.

"What other things do you believe in, but have no proof of?" Darnell questioned. "The dead coming back to life? That after you pass away, you live another life after death?"

That caused Joshua to freeze. It was then that he remembered The Ghost, whom had been haunting him recently. It gave him goose bumps thinking about it. His skin crawled, and it felt like a claw running down his back. It was then that he realized that it was Darnell, rubbing her claws down his spine.

"Uh, let's go home," He said and began to walk back into the forest, Darnell following him closely.

* * *

Before long, Darnell and Joshua were in Joshua's room. Joshua had been sitting on his bed, staring blankly at the wall. Darnell was entertaining herself by reading Joshua's Bible. She didn't quite understand half of the words, but it was still enjoyable.

"Darnell," Joshua said after a while, not looking away from the wall. Darnell looked up from the book; Joshua sounded different. He sounded almost like he was ill.

"Um, when you mentioned a life after death?" He asked her. When Darnell nodded, Joshua continued and said, "Well, that may be true. When I met you, I received these visits from a... it was supernatural."

"What was it?" Darnell asked, trimming her claws.

"It told me not to trust you," Joshua said. "It was the one that told me to kill you."

Darnell stopped, and all attention snapped to Joshua. She suddenly remembered the mist in the forest the other day, warning her to stay away from Joshua. Could it be possible that the two were connected? Darnell suddenly felt a twinge of fear.

"I should be going," Darnell said and began to slink under the bed. Before Joshua could say anything, Darnell had totally vanished under the bed.

Joshua immediately ran towards the window and jumped out again. Once again, it hurt, but he could still walk. "I've really got to stop doing that," He groaned to himself.

Just as he landed, Saul and his men slunk out of the forest, having failed to catch Darnell. All three of them looked dejected and sorrowful.

"Hey, guys," Joshua said, trying to sound casual. "How were you on your little Boogey-hunt?"

"We know you were with her, boy," Judas sneered, pointing a finger at him. Joshua's smile faded.

"Don't try and hide it," Absalom accused, puffing out his chest. "We saw you with her."

Joshua began to scratch the back of his head, trying to find a response. Eventually, Saul told his men, "Ah, leave him alone, men. He's probably dejected enough already."

Then, he whispered to Joshua, "Especially when we tell your parents."

Joshua's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, no!" He shouted. "You don't have to do that!"

The three men started chuckling, amused, when Maria showed up. "Hey, leave him alone!" She demanded, stepping in front of Joshua. "What's he done to you?"

"Oh, don't worry madam, we're just taking care of business here," Saul claimed, and he and his men turned to leave. Joshua stepped out from behind Maria and walked towards Saul, grabbing his coat.

"Wait, Saul," He said, getting his attention. "I think you should reconsider what you're doing. Those Bogeymen aren't as deadly as they seem."

Saul looked down at Joshua. "Little boy, you are horrendously mistaken," Was all he said. With that, he turned around and left with his men, leaving Joshua with Maria.

Maria walked up towards Joshua. "Look, kid, Saul is a creep, but he has a point," She said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Those Bogeymen are dangerous."

Joshua shook Maria's hand off of him. "You're wrong," He said. "Not all of them are." It crossed his mind that he could take Maria into the forest to meet Darnell, but he put those thoughts into the back of his mind. He had no idea how Maria would react.

"What do you mean, 'not all of them are'?" Maria asked, confused. Joshua's eyes widened in shock.

"Uh, it's like... snowflakes," He claimed. "I mean, no two snowflakes are exactly alike, right?"

Maria half-heartedly nodded, and Joshua took Maria's hands. "Look, Maria, I just moved here, and I don't understand much of how this village works," He told her.

Maria smiled. "I could help you," She said. "I've lived in this village my whole life. You can just follow my lead."

Joshua smiled, and hugged Maria. After getting over her initial surprise, Maria hugged him back.

* * *

Within the forest, Darnell silently watched as Joshua embraced Maria. She narrowed her eyes as she recognized Maria.

"She's that human girl he saved several days ago," She recalled, and she bared her teeth. "What is she doing, holding Joshua like that?"

Darnell felt a new emotion, one which she was unfamiliar with. She couldn't quite explain it, but at the moment, she didn't care. She couldn't bare to watch those two together.

Turning around, she left, dejected, into the forest and towards her own village.

* * *

_Reviews are appreciated._


	16. Tumbling Down

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: Well, Saul already did leave._

_BookMast3r: Well..._

* * *

**(Darnell's POV)**

I was heading back to my tree, wondering about when I would next meet Joshua. I was still thinking about that girl, and hoped I would never see her again, as much as I knew that would be impossible.

As I neared my home, I began to think about Aristodemos, and hoped she wouldn't be suspicious of me.

When I walked in, Aristodemos was tearing up a squirrel that I presumed she'd found somewhere near the tree. Her back was turned to me, and she didn't even react when I opened the door. Her back was turned to me. For some reason, she looked taller, and more spindly than usual. Her long arms whipped around in front of her as she slashed at the dead squirrel, while humming a quiet tune to herself.

Without bothering to greet her, I instead snuck past her and climbed towards my branch. The tree, for some reason, seemed more foreign to me now, and darker. It was only when I entered my branch that I remembered why.

The Ghost. I remembered it, and suddenly felt a twinge of uncertainty as I entered my room. As I lay down, I tried to rid myself of my fear.

_The Ghost only comes for me at night, _I tried to tell myself, even though I knew that wasn't exactly reassuring. _It's the afternoon. Surely he won't be bothered to terrorize me at this time, especially when my mother is awake._

It was then that I noticed something was different about the room. I stared around it, trying to see if I could pinpoint the difference.

Soon, I realized it. Joshua's hair strand was missing.

"What?" I asked, dropping down and staring at the area where it used to be. I scrambled around on all fours, trying to see if it had been blown somewhere. For several minutes, I searched the entire room, trying to see if I could find it.

I yearned no results.

Eventually, I began to grow tired. My encounters with Joshua had worn me out immensely, and I knew I had to go to sleep soon.

With a yawn, I stretched my limbs and began to lie down on my bed. The Ghost crossed my mind, but I put pave to those thoughts. I reasoned that it wouldn't bother me at this time.

I was dead wrong.

* * *

I had only been lying in my bed for a half-hour when it happened.

It started as rattling. The walls creaked and rattled in rhythm, jolting me to my senses. I stared around the room, in a pouncing position, trying to see if I could spot what was making all of the noise. At first, I tried to tell myself it was just a tree branch, scratching against the surface of the tree, but it soon became apparent that was not the case.

Without warning, the bark was stripped off the tree, almost as if someone was ripping it off. Before my very eyes, the walls were stripped down. Instantly, I jumped to my feet, my claws out. I began to back away, slowly at first, then at a quicker pace.

As the walls began to strip down, I dropped all of my defenses and bolted for the door. I opened it, and instantly, the hinges were torn off by some unseen force, causing the door to fly out of my hands and clatter against the wall.

Instantly, I knew I had to get out of here. As I was about to retreat from the tree, another thought crossed my mind.

My family.

I headed for my brothers' room. I ripped the door open, causing it to come clattering to the ground, and I immediately saw that what was happening to my room, was happening to my brothers room, too. The walls were coming off, and the room was beginning to shake, almost as if the tree was going to come tumbling down.

In the center of the room, Damion and Devlin sat down, huddled next to each other, their arms wrapped around each others for comfort. They were confused and terrified.

Seeing the look on my brothers' face made me hate the Ghost. For coming after me, for coming after my family.

"Come on, we have to go!" I told them rushing towards them. I grabbed Devlin and pulled him into my grasp, but as I reached for Damion, he was suddenly thrown against the wall. He was screaming as he was dragged across the room.

With a gasp, I let go of Devlin and soared towards Damion, grabbing onto his arm. I tugged onto his arm, trying with all my strength to pull him towards me, but I felt as if someone was pulling on Damion, too. With a groan, I finally freed my brother, and we both crashed onto the ground.

"Darnell, what's happening?" Devlin asked from the other side of the room. Just as the words left his mouth, he was flung into the air. His ear-piercing screams filled the entire tree.

Snapping my attention to my other brother, I soared up to him, too. I tackled him out of the air, and we both went crashing onto the ground. For a moment, we both lay dazed on the ground, when Damion rushed towards me and ushered me to my feet.

"Come on, we have to get out of here!" He shouted, dragging us to the door. The three of us flew down the tree, and it was then that we saw our mother in the center of the tree.

This was the first time I had seen my mother genuinely terrified, and it scared me, too. She had a confused expression on her face, as she was thrashing about. The entire tree was starting to collapse around us, and I was the only one who knew it.

Thinking quickly, I soared towards my mother and grabbed onto her, tackling her. With my mother in my grasp, I flew out through the exit of the tree, my brothers close behind me.

Just as we were outside, I saw that a crowd of other Bogeymen had gathered around us. I saw Mustachio and Devony amongst the crowd.

The sounds of the tree tumbling filled my ears, and I turned around to see it topple down. With a sickening thud, it crashed onto the ground with such force that several Bogeymen were knocked onto their feet.

Just like that, all was silenced. The only sounds were the howls of the wind. We all stared at the fallen tree, which had stood for generations.

I was breathing heavily, astounded at how close I had been to death, and I stared at my family. My brothers looked traumatized, and my mother wore an expression of pure disbelief.

I stared off at the crowd of Bogeymen. My eyes landed on Mustachio, who was covering his forehead as he processed what had just happened. I saw Devony, who's mouth was covered by her hand. I saw crowds of other Bogeymen, recognizing some faces, and others not too much.

I stared back at the fallen tree. As I did, one thing was certain.

This had been the work of the Ghost.

* * *

_Reviews are appreciated._


	17. Descry

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: Well, there's definitely a reason, but not what you might expect..._

* * *

**(Darnell's POV)**

After the destruction of my family's home, me and my family had no choice but to stay with another family for the time being. My mother decided for my family to move in with Darcey, Devony's mother. My mother and her were childhood friends.

I hadn't gone with my family when they left for Darcey's house. I'd stayed at the wreckage of my former home, reminiscing my memories of the tree. I'd been in that tree for most of my life, and now it was gone.

When I finally decided to leave, I didn't immediately go to Darcey's home. Instead, I went to Mustachio.

It must've surprised him when I came to his tree. I could tell by the shocked look in his normally calm eyes.

"Darnell, what are you doing here?" He asked, but nevertheless let me in.

"Mustachio, there's something I feel I can discuss only with you," I explained to him. "My mother would be too suspicious of me."

"That doesn't sound very comforting," Mustachio pointed out as I took a seat in one of the chairs.

After a tense silence, I finally asked, "Mustachio, do you believe in a life after death?"

Mustachio seemed stunned. Normally, he had a quick answer to my questions, but now, he was at a loss for words. After a while, he said, "I'm not sure."

"Not sure?" I asked, rubbing the back of my head. "But, you have an answer for everything."

"Well, nobody knows for sure about a life after death," Mustachio explained. "We can only know when we ourselves die."

I stared at him, somewhat disappointed. I would've hoped for a less cryptic answer, but then again, I couldn't of truly expected Mustachio to know an answer like that.

"Darnell, is something troubling you?" Mustachio asked when he saw the dour look in my eyes.

I snapped myself back into focus. "No, nothing," I said and got up from the chair. "Thanks, Mustachio." With that, I exited the tree.

I passed through the village, walking past dozens of other Bogeymen. As I did, I heard gossip and whispers amongst them. I couldn't catch what most of them were saying, but I noticed a few choice words.

_Darnell... mysterious... CURSED._

I shuddered and began to walk at a faster pace, trying to block out all of the whispering. Quickly, I ran for Darcey's house.

I opened the door to see Aristodemos in the middle of the tree, staring at me coldly as if she had been waiting for me. I caught sight of Darcey and Devony trying to check for wounds in my brothers.

I was too dulled to see anything, so I began to walk past my mother. However, she unexpectedly grabbed me and yanked me back.

"Darnell, it's time we have a little talk," Aristodemos said in a very disturbing tone. I froze in place.

"Did you think I wouldn't find out?" She asked me, glaring at me. By now, the others in the room were beginning to stare at us.

"Find out about what?" I asked nervously. Had my mother found out about me and Joshua?

"I was checking your room while you were out today, and do you know what I found?" Aristodemos asked, a sly grin on her face. When I didn't respond, Aristodemos reached into her collar and pulled out Joshua's hair strand.

I gasped, as did the others in the room.

"Now, what does this look like?" Aristodemos questioned, dangling the strand in my face. I didn't know how to respond, so I stayed quiet.

"It's a human hair strand," Devony said from the other side of the room. Aristodemos turned to her and nodded.

"That's right," She said.

I groaned and buried my face in my claws.

"So, that's what you've been doing these past few days," Aristodemos accused. "You were out with a human."

The other Bogeymen in the room were staring at me. Beats of sweat poured down my forehead, and I could feel my teeth chattering.

"It all makes sense now..." Aristodemos declared, dropping the strand. "You leaving in the morning... your recent injuries... the house getting cursed..."

"It's not like that," I tried to excuse.

"Then what is it?!" Aristodemos shouted at me, causing me to recoil in terror. I backed away in fear, and Aristodemos approached me.

"Come on, children..." Darcey said and ushered Devony and my brothers out of the room, leaving me and my mother alone. I felt a twinge of betrayal at Darcey abandoning me to face my mother's wrath.

"Mother..."

I was interrupted when Aristodemos unexpectedly struck me across the face, knocking me onto the ground. My face stung; I hadn't been struck in months, and I'd almost forgotten what it felt like.

"I set up strict rules, Darnell!" Aristodemos berated. "And the most important one was not to mingle with humans, especially if you're going to befriend them! You just broke my most important rule, you stupid girl!"

"But, mother..."

Aristodemos grabbed me by my hair, yanking me to my feet, only to knock me down once more.

"Do you want to end up like your father?" Aristodemos growled at me, grabbing my face in her claws. "Do you want to be murdered by those filthy humans?!"

By now,I was so scared that I curled into a fetal position on the floor, covering my face to protect me from more strikes. Soon, tears the color of blood was streaming down my face. My jaw was laced with a giant black bruise that clashed with my gray skin.

"N-no..." I sobbed out feebly. "No..."

There was an eerie silence. Eventually, I mustered the courage to look up at my mother.

Something was different in her expression. There was a softness in it that I had scarcely seen before.

"Oh, my dear child..." Aristodemos comforted, kneeling down and taking me into her arms. "You know all I want is you to be safe..."

I nodded, letting tears stream down my cheeks.

"I know, mother..." I whispered out.

Aristodemos stroked my hair. "Don't cry, child," She comforted, kissing me. "Everything's alright.

She lifted my head up to her with her claw, then placed my claw on my nose. "But, if it weren't for your recklessness, I wouldn't have to do these things," She said to me. "If you hadn't befriended that human..."

"You're right," I said bitterly.

"Now, I need you to do something for me," She said. "Break off contact with that human forever. Or, I'll have to do it myself."

She released me, got up, and stalked away, leaving me on the floor to contemplate what to do.

I knew I had no choice. There was only one option: I had to leave Joshua alone.

* * *

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	18. Confrontation

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: You're really pushing this whole 'dating' thing._

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Do Bogeymen even have a mother's day? _

* * *

Joshua had spent the day playing with Maria near his house when a pebble hit him in the back of the head. Turning around, he saw Darnell hiding in the bushes, silently ushering him to come.

As a diversion, he kicked the ball over Maria's head. "Joshua, what was that for?" She asked.

"Whoops, I guess you have to go get it!" He said, gesturing for Maria to leave. Maria rolled her eyes, but nevertheless went off in the direction the ball had flown to. The moment her back was turned, Joshua took off towards the forest.

Maria heard Joshua running and turned around just as he vanished between the trees. "Joshua, what are you-" She said, then simply groaned and took a few steps towards the forest. She hesitated for a bit, and then continued into the forest where Joshua had left.

* * *

When Joshua was in the forest, Darnell snatched him up into a thicket of three branches.

"What do you want, Darnell?" He asked, whispering so nobody would hear him.

"It's about our little pact," Darnell explained. After a pause, she said, "It's over. The pact is done."

"...What?" Joshua asked, stunned.

"My mother found out, and she got really angry," Darnell explained urgently. It was only then that Joshua noticed the bruise of Darnell's face.

'Hey, is that a-" He said, then put two-and-two together.

"Did your mother do that?" He asked, placing his hand on Darnell's cheek. Darnell flinched and swatted his hand away.

"It doesn't matter!" She snapped. "What matters is your safety. Do not return to this forest, and do not see me again. Am I understood?"

"But-"

"Do as I say!" Darnell hissed, and pushed Joshua back. "Now, leave, and never come back!"

Joshua wasn't willing to argue, so he jumped out of the tree. Giving a last look up at Darnell, he turned and walked slowly back towards the village. He wouldn't admit it, but he was sad to leave.

Darnell was upset, too. She watched as he left, and contemplated what would happen to her reputation once word got out that she'd befriended a human. What would her friends and family think of her?

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a voice shout, "Joshua?!"

Darnell soared through the trees and towards the source of the shouting. She hid above a tree, and watched as a little girl around Joshua's age walked through the forest.

It was Maria.

Darnell recognized her as the girl that had been hanging out with Joshua. Darnell remained hidden, and watched as Maria walked past the tree.

"Joshua, where are you?" She called out.

Darnell eyed the girl, repulsed. She wasn't fond of her, or how she'd been friends with Joshua. Even though Darnell herself couldn't be with Joshua anymore, she still was upset with Maria.

As Darnell watched Maria pass by the tree, an idea formed. She could get Maria to leave the forest and not come back, and also get back at her. A grin formed on her face.

* * *

As Maria walked through the forest, shivering a bit, she felt something fly past her at light speed. She whipped around, cautious, and saw that nobody was there. Nervously, she picked up a tree branch, wondering if she'd been spotted by some wild animal.

"Who's there?' She asked, holding the stick out rigidly. Maria heard someone land on the ground behind her, and turned around to see who it was. When she saw who it was, she nearly screamed out in horror.

It was Darnell. She looked more frightening now, especially in the eyes of Maria. Her claws were extended and on full display, her bat-like wings were spread out, giving the illusion of a demon, and her mouth was open, showing her fangs. Her head was tilted low, so Maria couldn't see her eyes. Eventually, Darnell looked up, a vicious snarl on her face, and her eyes glowing red.

Maria stared at Darnell, agape, and the branch dropped from her hands. Her mouth hung open in shock.

Darnell growled out, glaring at Maria. Her mouth opened, and she hissed out, _"Who dares to enter MY domain?!"_

She lunged at Maria and grabbed her, throwing her into a tree. Maria gasped out in pain and slid down the side of the tree, wounded. Her back ached from the blow, and her senses were temporarily disabled. She felt paralyzed.

Darnell crept up to Maria. _"No human can enter my domain and come out unscathed!" _She hissed, getting into Maria's face. _"You must pay for your insolence!"_

"W-Where's Joshua?" Maria asked, backing up against the tree.

Darnell cackled. _"Joshua?" _She sneered. _"Why, he's worm food, and so are you!"_

Darnell grabbed Maria by the hair and dragged her deeper into the forest. Setting Maria up against the tree, Darnell pondered, _"What to do with you? I could just eat you, or maybe, I could keep you as my toy forever!"_

"No!" Maria pleaded. "Please, no!"

Darnell was secretly enjoying all of this; she could barely contain her laughter. After what Aristodemos had done to her, she felt good taking out her anger on Maria. Of course, she didn't plan to do anything to her; she planned to just terrify her and leave. But, at the moment, she decided to play on Maria's fear even more, for added fun.

_"Your parents will be left wondering for the rest of their lives, 'what ever happened to our dear daughter'..." _Darnell taunted, pinching Maria's cheeks. _"But they'll never find out what happened to you. You'll be remembered as that little girl who went missing, was forever lost..."_

"No!" Maria shouted, and pushed back against Darnell to try and escape. Darnell suddenly lost all humor of the situation and instinctively shoved back, knocking Maria against the tree.

Maria let out a choked gasp, and her pupils shrank. Her mouth widened out, and her head rolled around on her shoulders. Darnell stared at Maria, somewhat shocked, breathing heavily, and felt blood gushing on her index claw.

After a few moments, Darnell realized that she'd stabbed Maria. When she pushed Maria against the tree, her index claw had stabbed Maria in the shoulder.

For a few moments, Darnell stared into Maria's eyes, just as shocked as Maria. She hadn't meant for this. Eventually, Darnell removed her claw from Maria's shoulder, and the younger girl began to choke and gasp, breathing heavily.

Darnell would've sworn if she knew any curse words. Panicking, she tried to find if there was something to bandage the wound. She wasn't going to use her own clothing, so she reached over and tore Maria's fabric.

Maria screamed out more, and Darnell covered Maria's mouth. When Maria went silent, Darnell proceeded to wrap the fabric around Maria's shoulder.

"Damn, damnation!" Darnell shouted out, as those were the closest thing to swear words she knew. Once she was finished, she grabbed Maria, lifted her into the air, and took off towards the village.

Darnell ran quickly, so much that she looked like a breeze of wind. Racing towards the door to Joshua's house, she set Maria down at the door, knocked on it, then took off running back to the forest.

As she did, she wondered how everything had gone so wrong, so fast.

* * *

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	19. Graveyard

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: Technically, that part of the forest didn't 'belong' to Darnell. It's the equivalent to claiming that part of an apartment belongs to you._

_Al Drin Hoshizora: You're referring to Darnell's actions, right?_

_I am a burglar: Says the burglar._

* * *

When Maria's parents were informed of what had happened to their daughter, they rushed to Joshua's house to take her back and nurse her injury.

When they arrived, Maria had somewhat recovered from her shoulder wound, and could explain what had happened at the forest.

"I followed Joshua into the forest to try and stop him from getting himself hurt..." Maria explained to Saul, her and Joshua's parents. Maria's parents shot Joshua a glare, then turned back to their daughter.

"Then, a bogeyman attacked me..." Maria recounted, pointing at her shoulder. "She spoke to me, and then she stabbed me. Then she returned me here."

Joshua's gaze carried off at the window. He knew immediately that Maria was talking about Darnell. His gaze became cold, feeling betrayed at what Darnell had done.

"I thought she killed you, Joshua," Maria said. "But, you were here all along."

Saul nodded. "I'll scourge the forest for this bogeyman," He reassured. He shot a look at Joshua, who shrunk away to avoid his glare. Then, he exited the room.

Joshua turned to Maria. "I'm really sorry for what happened..." He attempted to apologize, and rested a hand on her shoulder.

Suddenly, Maria's mother slapped his hand away. "Don't you dare touch our daughter!" She shouted furiously at him. "If it wasn't for you, this never would have happened!"

Joshua looked down, ashamed. Maria's parents got Maria to her feet and helped her out of the room. Joshua's parents took one look at him, then they followed Maria and her parents out, leaving Joshua in his room.

Slowly, Joshua looked up, and he stared at the window. In spite of what had just transpired, he was definitely not going to let this incident pass. Without a second thought, he slipped out the window, and rushed into the forest.

* * *

Darnell, ever since she had returned to the forest, had gone towards the lake. Once she arrived, she vomited into it for an extended period of time. The vomit looked like oil as it spewed out of her mouth.

Darnell eventually stopped and started coughing and gagging. She covered and wiped her mouth, blood-colored tears streaming out of her eyes. She lay on her knees, staring at her reflection in the water.

"Darnell!" A voice shouted from behind her. Darnell got up and spun around to see Joshua approach her.

Even though she had just told him not to see her again, Darnell couldn't have been happier to see him. Surely he could provide some comfort after what she'd done.

Darnell didn't notice the angry look on his face as he stomped over to her. Getting up, she said, "Joshua, you're back! Thank good-"

Joshua's fist slammed into Darnell's nose, cutting her off abruptly. The force of the blow sent Darnell crashing onto her back, floored. Her senses knocked out, Darnell stared dizzily up at the sky, stunned at how hard Joshua had hit her. She felt blood streaming out of her nose, and slowly felt her nose with her hand to make sure it wasn't broken.

Glazed, Darnell got to her knees, staring at Joshua, her vision fuzzy. She still couldn't believe Joshua packed such a punch.

"What in God's name did you think you were doing?!" Joshua berated her. "You stabbed Maria? What is wrong with you?!"

Darnell flinched at Joshua's words. She was about to apologize, but something caught her eye. Behind Joshua, hiding in the tree branches, an unidentified figure watched her. A green aura was around him.

It was the Ghost.

When he realized he'd been spotted, the spirit flew off to the side. "Hey, come back here!" Darnell shouted and flew off after the Ghost, ignoring Joshua, who was still shouting at her.

"Hey, come back!" Joshua shouted, stumbling after her. "I'm not done scolding you!"

Darnell didn't hear him. She flew after the Ghost at top-speed, zipping past the trees so quickly she was invisible to the naked eye. Surprisingly, the Ghost kept a steady pace ahead of her, keeping her from reaching him.

After about a minute, Darnell stopped once she realized where she'd been led to. She found herself at a human cemetery, hundreds of gravestones lined across the open field.

Slowly, Darnell walked through the graveyard, inspecting every stone. She looked around, her guard up, ready to see if the Ghost would appear.

Suddenly, Darnell heard the sound of a breeze behind her. Turning around, she saw the Ghost, sitting calmly on one of the larger gravestones. He stared off in the opposite direction of Darnell, whistling a happy tune.

"I see you found me," The Ghost said with a snicker, a sly grin on his face.

Darnell approached him cautiously. "Who are you, and what do you want with me and Joshua?" Darnell asked, staring at him hard.

"It's about something you did," The Ghost replied casually, not meeting Darnell's gaze.

"What, what did I do?" Darnell asked, and extended her claws in a threatening manner. "I've never killed anyone!"

"You may say that, but I know your kind," The Ghost replied, whistling. "You can never be trusted. You, and that boy? It'll turn out just like..." He trailed off.

"Like what?" Darnell asked, and aimed her claws at him. "Tell me!"

"Oh, don't threaten me," The Ghost snapped, finally turning to face her. "You can't hurt what's already dead."

Darnell stopped walking. "Like what?" She repeated.

The Ghost's eyes trailed off. "Did your mother ever tell you how she got those scars?" He asked her.

Darnell paused, staring off. She looked at her feet, and recounted the stories her mother had told her. Finally, she remembered, and she gasped, staring up at the Ghost.

"I know now!" She shouted. "I know who you are!"

* * *

_Reviews are appreciated.  
_


	20. A Turn of Events

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Yeah, Darnell figured it out (or at least, she thinks she has)._

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: Eh, nobody's perfect. And please, there is no way Joshua's punch could have been critical to Darnell. It hurt like Hell, though._

_The Genius: You'll find out when you keep on reading._

_I am a burglar: You're talking about Joshua, right? Did they even have first aid kits back then?_

* * *

**(Darnell's POV)**

"I know who you are!" I shouted at the Ghost. "You're the man that abducted and tortured by mother when she was my age. You cut her and mutilated her for weeks. When she escaped, you continue to hunt her, until she had to kill you!"

The Ghost looked surprised, and I saw a twinge of anger in his eyes. However, his bored demeanor returned. "Is that what you think?" He asked casually.

"You're back to haunt me now, aren't you?!" I shouted at him, filled with rage. "You destroyed my home, and you hurt my family!"

"Is that what you think?" The Ghost repeated in a taunting manner. By this point, I was so consumed with anger that I forgot that he was a ghost, and couldn't be killed. With a growl, I lunged at him, claws aimed for his throat.

I slashed at his neck, and he vanished into mist. I wildly swiped at the mist as it floated up into the air. Unrelenting, I pursued the mist up into the air, continuing to slash at it, not realizing how futile it was.

The mist reformed into the Ghost, and he flew to the side. I followed him, soaring towards him at top speed, but he dodged out of the way in time. For some time, I chased him through the air, trying to grab and slash him, to no avail.

Eventually, he spun around and dove through my stomach. I felt like a surge of electricity had struck me head-on, and I stumbled through the air. The Ghost soared at me again, flying through me, and once more, I felt the surge of electricity.

As I began to spiral downwards, the Ghost flew above me, and then soared down at me, striking me head-on. The force of the blow, sent me crashing onto the ground with a sickening thud in the middle of the graveyard. I lay there, utterly defeated.

For a few moments, I lay on the ground, unable to move. Eventually, I managed to find the strength to move my arms a bit, and I started to push myself up off the ground. However, I then felt the Ghost wrap his hands around my throat, and start choking the life out of me.

I dropped back onto the ground, still feeling the Ghost throttle me. I choked and gagged, and tried to pry his hands off my throat, but it was no use. He had me overpowered.

For some time, he strangled me to the point that I felt the blood getting cut off from my brain. I started to wonder to myself why I wasn't dead yet.

"You think you know what happened?" I heard the Ghost whisper into my ear. "You don't know anything."

Suddenly, a familiar voice cut into my ears.

"Darnell!"

It was Joshua. I felt so relieved I temporarily forgot that the Ghost was choking me. It appeared the Ghost heard it to, for he released his grip on my throat. He stood above me, and turned in the direction Joshua was coming from.

"This isn't over," He whispered to me, and then he dissipated into mist and flew off.

The moment he was gone, I struggled to get up again, but I was too exhausted to. I collapsed onto my back, and instead hoped Joshua would find me. I didn't have to wait long, for soon, Joshua came running to my side.

"What the Devil..." He whispered when he saw my beaten, battered body. Without another word, he helped me to my feet, and half-carried me into the forest.

* * *

A half-hour later, Joshua finished wrapping up my arms. He'd used the very long leaves to bandage my arms and my leg. I was admittedly uncomfortable with being in such a helpless position, but after what had happened, I was primarily grateful for the effort he put into it.

"And your finished," Joshua said, finishing bandaging my arm. The two of us sat on an upturned log for a few minutes, and then Joshua said, "What happened to you back there?"

It was then that I remembered I hadn't explained to him what had happened to me. "Remember when we were talking about a life after death?" I asked him. When Joshua nodded, I replied, "Well, it happened. A, dead person attacked me."

I saw Joshua's eyes widen when I explained that, and I wondered if he had an idea of who I was talking about. I didn't have to wait long for an answer.

"I know, I've seen him before," Joshua confessed, sighing. "He's been haunting me, and telling me to stay away from you. He claims I can't trust you."

"That's him, alright," I whispered to myself. It made me sick just talking about him, knowing what he did to my mother. I wanted to change the subject, so I said, "Thanks, Joshua, for everything."

"Oh, it was nothing," Joshua replied, fumbling with his words.

I wanted to thank him in some way, but what I did next, I don't think I thought through. I leaned over, and kissed him on the cheek.

I saw the way Joshua's eyes widened when I did that. Pale-faced, he turned to stare at me, his jaw dropped in disbelief.

"What did you..." He trailed off, stunned.

"Well, I just, I've seen you humans do it before at the village, so I just, um..." Now even I was at a loss for words. I just closed my mouth, embarrassed.

Joshua stared at me, and then got up from the log. "I need to go, NOW," He said, and with that, he sprinted off away towards the village. The moment he was gone, I buried my face in my hands and groaned.

"What is wrong with me?!" I shouted out.

* * *

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_


	21. Sneak In

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Eh, he doesn't really possess people. He could've done far worse._

* * *

**(Joshua's POV)**

Did Darnell really just KISS me? No, that couldn't have happened. I must've been dreaming. There was no way that Bogeyman would ever kiss me.

...Oh, who am I kidding. She really did kiss me. I don't know why, but she really did it. I hope she thought humans kissing each other just meant they were friends, and not, lovers... I need to clear my mind.

I sit down next to a log, trying to get my thoughts in order. I realize I should've been back to the village by now, but it wasn't like I was in any immediate danger. Surely I could spare a few minutes to think.

Before long, a green mist passed by, and I knew instantly that it was the Ghost.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, not as shocked as I had been the first few times. I guess all my encounters with the supernatural these past few days really had dulled my reaction a bit.

"I saw the whole thing," The Ghost said, materializing next to me. "It really was telling, wasn't it."

"What was?" I asked, inching away from him.

"The way she forced that kiss on you," The Ghost recalled, eying him mischievously. "That really was something."

"What are you getting at, poltergeist?" Joshua asked, incredulous.

"As I said before, she doesn't care about you," The Ghost claimed. "She didn't ask for your consent or anything. She just straight up forced herself on-"

"Oh, will you shut it already?!" I shouted at him, unexpectedly. "This is getting pathetic. It was a kiss. She didn't force herself on me, she just kissed me. There, end of story."

"But we're just in the middle," The Ghost reminded me.

I stared at him in disbelief. "Just go," I told him. "Just, get out of here. I have enough on my mind without you implanting sinister thoughts into my head. Just, go."

The Ghost stared at me. "...If that's what you want," He replied, and vanished into thin air. I gave a sigh of relief, once he was gone.

Then, I heard a hissing sound. Turning around, I saw a Bogeyman skittering across the ground towards me on all fours. Her head was lowered, so I couldn't see her face.

She reached me and got to her feet. She was about an inch shorter than me. She hissed at me, and I recognized her instantly.

"Hey, you're that Bogeyman who was with Darnell when she attacked me and Maria," I recalled, pointing an accusing finger at her. She seemed surprised that I knew Darnell's name. Without saying a word, she signaled for two twin Bogeyman to join her. I immediately recognized them as the other two Bogeymen who had joined Darnell when I first met her.

_"Now, what shall we do with this one?" _The female Bogeyman asked her comrades. I didn't really think they intended on killing me, but I still didn't want to stick around to find out.

"Oh my lord, WHAT IS THAT?!" I shouted, pointing off at the distance. The Bogeymen, not being familiar with human trickery, fell for it and looked in the direction that I was pointing. Immediately, I broke into a sprint, taking off towards the village.

* * *

**(Darnell's** **POV)  
**

Since Joshua disbanded from me, I decided to meet a certain someone at her house.

I snuck out from under Maria's bed and entered her room. Instantly, I noticed that Maria was asleep. Her head was turned from me, and she was snoring rather loudly.

Careful not to wake her up, I inspected her room. I noticed that it was bigger than Joshua's, and much roomier. There was more furniture in the room, as well as a large mirror and a family portrait.

I spent a few minutes staring in awe at all of the furniture and portraits. My tree branch was minor compared to Maria's room. When I was finished inspecting the room, I turned to Maria, who was still asleep.

Slowly, I approached the bed, and climbed on it carefully. I stared down at Maria, and noticed some facial aspects I hadn't known before. We had a similar nose, and when I pulled back her hair, I saw that she had a beauty mark, just like me.

"Wow..." I whispered quietly. However, it appeared that Maria had still heard me, because he eyes slowly fluttered opened. I saw the look of confusion in her eyes turn to utter terror when she recognized me. She gasped.

Realizing she was about to scream, I slapped my hand over her mouth. Putting the girl in a headlock, I dragged her to the window. For a few seconds, I stared out into the village below, making sure nobody had heard her.

When it became clear that nobody had noticed us, I dragged Maria away from the window. It was then that I noticed that Maria couldn't breath because my hand was over her mouth and nose. Her face was beginning to turn red, so I released her, and she gasped out for air.

"I bet you're really surprised to see me," I said, ruffling Maria's hair as if we were friends. Before Maria could respond, the door behind us creaked open, and Maria's parents walked in on us.

"Hey, Maria dinner's rea... what in God's name?" Maria's father gasped out when he saw me. Immediately, I dashed over, with Maria still in my grasp, and clasped a hand over his mouth. When I saw Maria's mother open her mouth, I stuck my foot in the air and put my heel in her mouth.

"Nobody make a sound," I said to the family. They all had a look of frightened disbelief on their faces.

"Now... we're going to have dinner," I told them. "Does anyone have a problem with that?"

The three stared at me, sweat dripping from their foreheads. Then, they all shook their heads.

* * *

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	22. An Awkard Dinner

_Matt: I saw the trailer. I'm definitely seeing the movie._

_Al Drin Hoshizora: No kidding._

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: Don't give the shippers ammo._

* * *

Ten minutes later, Darnell, Maria, and her parents were all seated at the dinner table. Maria and her parents stared at Darnell awkwardly, while she seldom noticed. Instead, she was occupied staring at the fork and knife, and wondering what she was supposed to do with them.

Maria's mother whistled a jaunty tune in order to lighten the mood. Maria's father drummed his fingers on the table, shifting his eyes. Maria was just staring at Darnell.

Darnell, after a few minutes, tossed away the kitchen ornaments and just ripped into her meal with her fangs and claws. The family stared at her more awkwardly than before.

Darnell stopped eating. "Food is good," She complimented, twirling a strand of her hair around her index claw. Maria's mother slowly nodded in thanks.

"So, uh, you do this stuff often?" Darnell asked, brushing her hair with the fork. Maria made a gagging noise.

"I'm just going to guess you do this often, since you're all being so quiet," Darnell said casually, dropping the fork onto the ground.

Finally, Maria's father spoke. "Do we know you?" He asked, rubbing his temple.

"Maria does," Darnell said, gesturing to Maria, who sunk into her chair in response. "Yeah, us too had quite the encounters, right?" She chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her head.

"You stabbed me," Maria recalled. Maria's parents' eyes widened and they gawked at Darnell.

Darnell laughed, even more nervous. "Yeah, good times, right?" She said, and her laughing slowed to a stop. Now she shrunk into her chair as all the stares started to sink in.

"Well, this is awkward," She whispered. Another uncomfortable silence ensued.

After a few minutes, Maria said, "Hey, you mentioned killing Joshua when you... you know... but, he turned up fine. Do you know something about him?"

"Sort of," Darnell mumbled. "We're, kind of, friends."

The moment she said that, Maria's parents unexpectedly burst out laughing, which startled Darnell significantly.

"A Bogeyman and a human, friends?!" Maria's father shouted in the midst of his laughing fit. "That's the most ridiculous think I've ever heard!"

Darnell turned to stare at Maria. "They're sometimes like this," She reassured.

Darnell turned to stare at Maria's parents, offended. Standing up from her chair, she snapped, "It's true! Joshua's been sneaking off into the forest because we're friends! That's what he was doing when Maria followed him, against her better judgement!"

Maria's parents stopped laughing. "So, it's true," Maria's mother whispered. "Huh."

Before anyone could continue, the door was swung open, and Joshua's parents walked in.

"Have any of you seen Joshua?!" Joshua's mother asked. "He disappeared, and-"

Joshua's parents saw Darnell at the dinner table, and their jaws dropped. Darnell face-palmed.

"Oh, boy," She said. Walking up to Joshua's awe-struck parents, she said, "Don't worry. I'm not evil. I'm a sane, thinking person. I think I know where Joshua is."

Joshua's parents stared at Darnell, still dumbstruck.

"Nothing to say, huh," Darnell said, her hands on her hips. She then casually walked towards the door to leave. Suddenly, Maria grabbed her hand.

"I'm coming with you!" She said.

"Maria, don't you dare!" Maria's mother said, but by then, Darnell and Maria were already out the door.

"I really hope Joshua isn't in danger!" Maria said as she and Darnell raced off through the village. As they did, dozens of village folk saw them and stared in awe as they ran through the village. Gasps of shock and horror erupted across the village.

* * *

Saul was in his bedroom, staring at a portrait of his late brother. He had only been twelve when he passed away.

Saul sighed as he reminisced times with his brother. However, he was distracted when he heard the shouting and crying coming from the village. Racing to the window, he stared down and saw Darnell and Maria, running through the village.

"What in God's name..." He whispered, and he heard the door open behind him. It was Absalom and Judas.

"Sir, it's-" Absalom started.

"I know," Saul said, and picked up his crossbow. "Go down and take care of it."

"Yes, sir," Absalom said, and he and Judas ran downstairs to confront the Bogeyman. Saul took one last look at his portrait, and he followed suite.

* * *

Darnell and Joshua continued to run through the crowd of terrified villagers. Darnell suddenly felt out of place amongst all the humans in the village. She bit on her claws, somewhat disturbed herself.

Suddenly, an arrow flew out and nearly pierced Darnell's head. She and Maria crashed onto the ground. Darnell looked up and saw Judas and Absalom, approaching the two. The villagers fled into their houses to avoid the confrontation.

"Maria, go on," Darnell said, shoving Maria into order to push her ahead. Maria proceeded towards the forest while Darnell faced the two men.

Absalom charged at Darnell and clubbed her in the head, knocking her onto the ground. Her raised his foot and brought it down towards Darnell, but she dodged out of the way. Sliding across the ground, Darnell regained balance and soared at Absalom, tackling him. However, Absalom proved very strong, and flung Darnell away.

Darnell landed on her feet, and extended her claws, hissing. Judas aimed his crossbow and fired, and Darnell dodged. However, she ran right into Absalom's fist, knocking her to the ground once more.

Darnell immediately got up and clawed Absalom's stomach, causing him to howl in pain. He swatted Darnell away with his massive arm. Darnell crashed into the wall of a house, and groaned, wounded.

As the men approached her, Darnell ripped a piece of the wooden wall off and threw it, striking Judas in the nose. With Judas distracted, Darnell ran and slashed Absalom's face, causing him to stumble backwards. She then tripped Judas, who crashed onto the ground with a thud. Before he could get up, Darnell kicked him in the side of the head, knocking him unconscious.

Darnell heard Absalom groan, and she spun around and kicked the crossbow out of his hand. She then brought her fist down on his face, knocking him out as well.

Darnell stared down at her two defeated assailants, then looked around to see the scared villagers all staring at her from within the safety of their houses.

"Hey!" Darnell heard Saul shout, and she turned to see him charging towards her. Darnell wasn't prepared to fight him, so she instead tore off to follow Maria to the forest.

Saul wouldn't give up. He pursued.

* * *

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	23. Gaoled

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Um... Darnell doesn't quite fit that description..._

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: He was in the forest getting chased by Bogeymen, remember._

* * *

He had been so close. So very close.

Had he just been allowed two seconds,, Joshua would've exited the forest and been back to his house. But, as Joshua found out, Bogeymen were very fast. He'd already experienced this when he'd seen Darnell and how she was so fast she'd seem invisible. And thus, the second the three Bogeymen found out they'd been deceived, they had chased him down just as he was about to leave the forest.

Devony held Joshua by his hair as the twins held Joshua by his feet, carrying him towards the forest.

_"Did you really think you could escape that easily?"_ Devony asked him. _"We'll fix you for good."_

Joshua wasn't particularly scared, though. Darnell, who was older then all four of them, couldn't bring herself to kill him nor Maria in the past, even before she knew him. He doubted the three Bogeymen harassing him would bring themselves to do it either.

Joshua didn't have the time to consider whether they'd actually murder him, because a scream suddenly broke through the air. The Bogeymen paused and turned to see who was screaming.

Joshua craned his neck up, and was surprised to see Maria, soaring at the four, his father's rake in her hands.

The Bogeymen were so shocked that they dropped Joshua onto the ground. Maria immediately shielded him and proceeded to swing the rake wildly in an attempt to catch the Bogeymen. She wasn't quite familiar with how to handle a rake, but she was swinging at such a frantic rate that the Bogeymen couldn't help but keep away from her.

Maria eventually got in a lucky shot and clawed Damion's arm, leaving five gruesome marks. He clutched his injured arm and collapsed on the ground, under Maria's swings. Devlin immediately ran to his brother's aid.

Maria immediately swung the rake, catching him by the face. He collapsed onto the ground next to his brother. Maria raised the rake over her head and prepared to bring it down onto the two, but Joshua got up and grabbed the rake.

"Wait, stop!" Joshua shouted, wrenching the rake out of her hands. He tossed it away into the bushes.

"Joshua, are you insane?!" Maria asked him. She noticed Devony cautiously approach the twins, and immediately tackled her to the ground.

It struck Joshua as odd that Maria, who had previously been terrified of Bogeymen, was now suddenly so willing to attack them. He was also stunned at how incredibly violent she was. Blood had been spilled on the ground from the twins wounds, and now she was wrestling with Devony on the ground.

Maria soon pinned Devony down. The Bogeyman had been totally unprepared for the fight, and thus had been easier to defeat than she would've been otherwise. Maria held her arms down, breathing heavily, stunned at what she had just accomplished.

Maria felt a clawed hand grasp her head. She turned her head to see Darnell looking down at her, a disapproving look on her face. Darnell proceeded to hoist Maria off of Devony, who began taking huge gasps of air, which had been constricted by Maria sitting on her.

"I see you dispatched my brothers," Darnell said, staring at the bloodied twins. Oddly enough, she didn't appear as angry as Maria would've thought; she was clearly upset, but she wasn't outraged.

"What is going on?" Devony asked, getting to her feet. Darnell and Joshua were about to answer, but they were interrupted when an arrow suddenly went flying through the air. It pierced Devony's wing, causing her to scream in agony and collapse onto the ground.

"Devony!" Darnell shouted in horror. Joshua instinctively grabbed Darnell and hid her behind a bush before the same fat befell her.

"I got her," They heard Saul say. He, along with his two men, arrived and immediately apprehended the three Bogeymen.

"Good work, Maria," Saul congratulated her. "We followed you to them."

"They're taking my brothers," Darnell hissed to Joshua, and rose up to try and attack the three men, but Joshua dragged her back down. He knew she couldn't be able to take all three men. She reluctantly sat down, holding herself back from attacking.

Maria looked incredibly guilty. She shot a look at the bush where Joshua and Darnell were hiding. Saul and his men carried the Bogeymen away, leaving Maria.

Once the three men were gone, Darnell got up. "They took my brothers, and Devony!" She pointed out to Joshua. "I have to stop them!"

She began to set off in the direction the men had gone, but Joshua held her back. "No, Darnell, it's too dangerous," He pointed out.

"But we can't just sit here and do nothing!" Darnell snapped, causing Joshua to stumble backwards. He shrunk down, embarrassed.

Maria walked up to Darnell. "Well, what do we do?" She asked.

Darnell thought hard, but then crouched down onto the ground, devastated. "I don't know," She confessed, burying her face into her hands.

* * *

"Okay, that'll do!" Absalom said as he violently tossed the three Bogeymen into their caged cells. Absalom stared at them, satisfied, and turned to leave.

The other en-caged Bogeymen began to hiss at Saul as he left. He suddenly turned and growled, silencing them. Saul grimaced and snorted, before leaving the room with his two men.

Devlin crawled up next to Devony. "How long are we going to be in here?" He asked. Devony wanted to answer, but she was at a loss for words.

Suddenly the three heard heavy breathing. The cage was very dark, so it was hard to see. It was only now that they realized they weren't alone in their cell.

The three huddled close, and turned to see who was trapped with them.

* * *

_Reviews are appreciated._


	24. The Plan

_I am a burglar: Wait, you're a burglar, not a detective._

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: Well, the logical explanation is that she injured the twins with the rake and Devony was too surprised to fight back._

_Al Drin Hoshizora: This was her shining chapter, I'll admit._

* * *

In the cage, with the three children, was a thin, bony, elderly bogeyman. He was very small, just barely taller than Devony. His arms looked like that of a rake, with very long, sharp claws. He sat hunched over, his spine showing. He had a long, dirty white beard.

Devony shielded the twins from the old bogeyman as she tried to identify him. She stared into his face, and her eyes widened in shock after a few moments.

"I... I know you," She said in awe. "You were that man who lived next to me. You are Aramaic. You vanished years ago, when I was a little girl."

The bogeyman nodded and sighed. "I've been trapped here for a long time," He lamented. "I deserve it, though."

Damion peeked out from behind Devony. "What happened to you?" He asked.

"I... I killed a little girl," He explained solemnly. "She wondered away from her parents and into the forest. I killed her, and then they found me and locked me here."

The three children remained silent throughout this. Aramaic looked to the floor.

"Maybe... if I hadn't killed her... I wouldn't be here now," The old bogeyman said. "I can only hope that you can find a way to get out of here. I don't have much time left, though."

Devony slowly nodded. "We'll... we'll try," She reassured.

* * *

Darnell, Joshua and Maria sat in the forest, thinking hard on their next course of action.

"Joshua, do you know where Saul has my family and friend imprisoned?" Darnell asked, getting up.

"Yeah, near the crematorium," Joshua said. "He told me. He said I could visit anytime I wanted."

Darnell's eyes lit up. "That's it, Joshua!" She said, a smile forming on her face. "You can go on your visit to the crematorium, and while you're there, you free the Bogeymen!"

"What about you?" Maria asked.

Darnell paused, then said, "I'm going to talk to Saul," She said.

"What?!" The two asked in unison.

"You can't just go up to Saul," Maria pointed out. "How do you know he'd listen?"

"I'll make him listen," Darnell said confidently, putting her hands on her hips. "It always works with the other bogeyman."

"What are you going to do?" Joshua asked skeptically. "Walk up to the door, knock on it, and say, 'can I come in for a talk'?"

Darnell glared at him. "You do what you do and I'll do what I do," She stated. With that, she started shoving the two out of the forest and into the village. With that, she then took off at high speed to try and find Saul's house.

Finding his house was easier than Darnell thought. The village was rather small, and there were few people outside after what had transpired earlier on. One of the few people outside was Saul.

Darnell hid inside the forest and watched as Saul neared his house. Darnell crawled through the woods behind the house, waiting for the perfect opportunity to confront him.

Darnell heard the door open, and then shut. Slowly, she crawled up to the house, thinking of how to properly confront the man. She wondered how to properly do it. She was still scared of Saul, and to talk to him seemed a big task, especially for a thirteen year old.

Reluctantly, Darnell flew up to the window to spy on what was going on inside the house.

In the room, she saw a woman sitting on a rocking chair. From the looks of you, she appeared to be pregnant. Darnell stared at the unsuspecting woman, but ducked when the door opened. Darnell peeked up to see Saul enter the room.

The man looked tired, and worrisome. He lay his hat down on the chair and approached the woman. Darnell watched him closely.

"Honey, are you alright?" Saul asked, not noticing Darnell at the window. The woman managed a weak smile and nodded.

"You'll be okay, honey," Saul reassured, kissing the woman on the lips. Darnell was dumbfounded; how could such a cruel man be so compassionate suddenly. However, she was snapped out of her thoughts when Saul happened to glance at the mirror, and noticed Darnell's reflection in it.

The two gasped as they noticed each other. Darnell ducked out from the mirror. Saul said, "I need to take care of something," He said, and grabbed his crossbow and hat as he rushed downstairs.

Darnell began to run to the door to await Saul's arrival. As she did, two young children, one a boy and the other a girl, rushed out through the door excitedly, unaware of the commotion. The girl looked to be six, and the boy four.

Before the two noticed Darnell, the bogeyman snatched both of them into her arms. She knew taking Saul's children hostage wasn't a good way to start a conversation, but if it would make him listen to her, it was worth the risk.

She hid with the two children in her grip as Saul peered out the door.

"Bogeyman?" He shouted, walking outside. "Where are you?"

Darnell kept her hands over the two children's mouths to keep them from giving away her position.

_"I am here, Saul, with your children," _Darnell hissed, hoping to strike fear into Saul.

There was a pause, and Darnell could only imagine the expression on Saul's face. After a silence, she heard Saul repeat, "Where are you?"

_"Put down your weapon and throw it here," _Darnell demanded, beginning to come closer out of hiding. She heard a groan, and finally, Saul tossed his crossbow to the side.

Relieved that the man had put down his weapon, Darnell walked out of hiding, holding the two children in her arms. She stood over the crossbow, and stared Saul in the eyes.

"Now, time to talk," She said, using her real voice now.

* * *

_Reviews are appreciated._


	25. Free

_A-Plus Cassiopeia: He was just introduced now._

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Darnell isn't going to leave. She has unfinished business._

_I am a burglar: You do that._

* * *

Darnell held the boy in her arms while simply holding her other hand on the girl's head, silently warning her not to move. Darnell placed her foot on the crossbow and stared ahead at Saul, her eyes locked with his.

"Let my children go," Saul demanded firmly. He was staring at Darnell, his gaze striking fear into her eyes. Even though she had the upper hand in the situation, Darnell still couldn't help but fear for her life.

"No, I won't," Darnell stated defiantly. "Not until you listen to what I have to say."

"You can't-" Saul started.

"You WILL listen," Darnell stated firmly, her claws pinching into the girl's scalp. She was sure this would keep Saul where he was.

Saul looked as furious as possible, but he didn't move. After a few moments, he said, "Fine, I'll humor you. What is it you have to say, bogeyman?"

Darnell was silently relieved that Saul was bothering to listen to her. She breathed silently, trying to think of the most important thing to say. "I want you to stop hunting us down as if we're animals," She said to get straight to the point.

"What?!" Was Saul's immediate response. "I cannot do that!"

"Why not?" Darnell asked, her face contorting into confusion. "You've locked away so many of us for years."

Saul took a step forward, and Darnell instinctively stepped back, increasing her hold on the two children.

"Why should I stop hunting you when all you do is terrorize this village?" Saul asked, his eyes filled with hatred. "Do you know how many children are lost every year because of you?"

For a moment, Darnell remained silent. She hadn't quite expected that retort. "Yes, well, we only do it to scare you so you don't try and hurt us," She pointed out.

"You murder children to try and tell us not to threaten you?!" Saul shouted, getting visibly angrier. "I guess that girl from three years ago deserved to die, then! Her family was mourning for months!"

Darnell was about to respond, but Saul then continued, saying, "You're even threatening children right now!"

Darnell was beginning to feel like her argument was falling apart. "It's not like that!" She shouted at him. She was amazed that nobody had heard them yet.

"Then tell me what it is?!" Saul retorted. At that point, Darnell let go of the two children. They were quick to race towards their father. Darnell then proceeded to pick up the crossbow, trying to figure out how it worked.

Saul stared at Darnell, not moving now that she had his weapon.

"Do you want to know how it started?" Darnell asked. "How all these problems began?"

"I know very much how it started," Saul said indignantly. "But I'll hear your story, for whatever good that does."

_This should make him change his mind, _Darnell thought to herself. She was going to pull her trump card.

"When my mother was a little girl, she was captured by you humans," Darnell explained. "For a long time, they tortured her, until she managed to escape. Explain to me, why did you humans do that."

Then, at that moment, Saul's eyes widened in shock. He looked deep in thought, then, he looked towards Darnell again.

"What was her name?" He asked, his eyes filled with suspicion.

"Aristodemos," Darnell answered, wondering why he was so surprised. The moment the words left her mouth, Saul's eyes darkened, and Darnell wondered if he knew her mother personally.

Before Darnell could grasp what was happening, Saul was right in front of her. He grabbed Darnell's wrist and started pulling her towards the house. The crossbow clattered onto the ground.

"What are you doing?" Darnell asked as she was led into the house, the two children following her and Saul. The four walked up the stairs, down the hallway, and right into Saul's room.

Once they were within the room, Saul roughly turned Darnell so that she faced the portrait of Saul's brother.

"Look at that boy!" Saul growled at her harshly. "Do you know him!"

Darnell stared hard at the picture. She felt she recognized him from somewhere, but she couldn't put her claw on it.

"That was my brother, killed by your mother!" Saul bellowed at her. "Your mother lied to you, girl! When we moved here, she caught us, and forced us to visit her every day. When we skipped out on her, she killed him! Don't you see, your mother lied to you!"

Then, Darnell realized it. The boy in the picture had the same facial features as...

"The ghost..." Darnell whispered as realization sunk in. "No, that can't be right..."

Darnell stared, wide-eyed, at Saul, feeling as if her life had been one giant lie. She extended her wings, and soared out through the window and towards the forest.

She had to find answers.

* * *

As it turned out, breaking into the crematorium where all the entrapped Bogeymen were held was easier than Joshua and Maria would've thought. Judas and Absalom had been very tired after their fight with Darnell, so they were easy to dispatch, even for two children.

The real problems came when, ironically, the kids used the keys they'd stolen from Absalom to free the three Bogeymen children. The second they were freed, Devony had grabbed Joshua and pinned him against the wall.

"What are you doing here?!" She asked, her hands wrapped around his throat. "Answer me!"

"Darnell sent us here!" Joshua explained quickly. "We came here to rescue you!"

Devony quickly released Joshua. "Your the boy she befriended, huh," She said to herself. "I never expected this from her."

"Never mind that," Maria said as she shoved Judas and Absalom into one of the cages and locked them in. "We have to get all of them out of here and return them to the forest."

After realizing the oddity of that statement, Maria whispered, "What have I gotten myself into?"

Joshua was quick to unlock all the cages, releasing the Bogeymen. They stared at Joshua and Maria in bewilderment, then proceeded to fly out through the door and into freedom.

"Come on, let's go!" Joshua said, and he grabbed Maria's arm and dragged her out towards the forest to follow them.

* * *

_Reviews are appreciated._


	26. Exposed

_Al Drin Hoshizora: What a twist!_

_I am a burglar: You do that._

* * *

Darnell soared over the trees, flying straight to the village. As she did, she kept thinking about what Saul had told her, about his brother and her mother.

She tried to deny it, but she knew she had to know the truth. And if Saul was right, that meant her mother had been lying to her for her entire life.

Darnell landed in the middle off the village, which seemed rather vacant. She ran to Darcey's house, where she knew her mother was. Violently pushing the door open, she flew into the room, startling her mother.

"Darnell, where have you been all day?" She asked, sounding suspicious. She was no doubt thinking that Darnell had been with Joshua.

"What happened?" Darnell asked bluntly.

"You're going to have to be a little more specific than that," Aristodemos pointed out, folding her arms. Darnell narrowed her eyes at her mother, and bared her fangs.

"When you were young, did you ever meet a kid Saul, and his brother?" She asked. Aristodemos froze as the words left Darnell's mouth.

"Did you, mother?" Darnell asked again. "Did you, by any chance, force them to visit you every day. Did, by any chance, did they skip out on you on one of those days, for any reason?"

For once, Aristodemos didn't speak back to Darnell. The young Bogeyman couldn't believe that she was using this tone of voice against her own mother. However, she steeled herself to continue.

"And... did you _kill _one of them?" She asked. A stony silence occurred as the words left their mouths. Darnell stared her mother in the eyes, awaiting a response from her.

Aristodemos had an unrecognizable look in her eyes. She didn't look confident now; she looked somewhat scared.

Slowly, Darnell's eyes widened as realization kicked in. Saul was right; Aristodemos had been lying to her the whole time. If she hadn't, she would've denied Darnell's claims immediately.

"You did it, didn't you?" She whispered in accusation.

Aristodemos finally found the will to speak. "Now, Darnell, I was only a child..." She told her. "I'd only seen these humans for the first time, and I was so intrigued that I..."

"You killed one of them," Darnell accused, pointing a claw aggressively at her. "I bet you got the scars when he tried to defend himself, or his brother."

Aristodemos' eyes narrowed. "Smart girl," She said in an indignant tone. It appeared she wasn't even trying to hide what she'd done now.

"Why did you do it?" Darnell asked.

"Why do you care?" Aristodemos retorted, irritated. "They're just humans."

Instantly, something snapped in Darnell's head. Giving an angry roar, she grabbed a nearby chair and hurled it at Aristodemos, who gasped and ducked. The chair smashed against the wall, shattering into pieces.

Darnell growled. To her, they were more than just humans. Joshua was more than that.

"You lied to me, all of my life!" She accused, throwing another chair that once again smashed against the wall. Aristodemos backed up against the wall, utterly terrified at her daughter's sudden violence.

Darnell, using all of her strength, lifted the wooden table into the air. "You murderous, violent, monster!" She shouted hoarsely, preparing to throw the table at her mother. Then, she stopped, as Aristodemos shielded her head with her claws.

_What am I doing? _Darnell asked. _Was I about to kill my own mother. My only remaining parent?_

Darnell dropped the table to the side. Aristodemos removed her hands from her face, and stared up at Darnell in shock. Darnell stared down at her, her glare cold. Without another word, she left the tree.

Once she was out of the tree, Darnell ran for the one person she felt she could trust: Mustachio. His home wasn't very far away, and soon, Darnell found herself at the front door.

Without bothering to knock on the door, Darnell forced herself inside. In the room, Mustachio was sitting quietly. He barely acknowledged Darnell's presence.

"You shouldn't be here," He told her, not looking at her. "Your mother told me that you shouldn't be visiting me."

Ignoring this, Darnell said, "Mustachio, when you and my mother were children, was she ever truly captured and tortured by humans?"

"Yes," Mustachio immediately said. Darnell couldn't believe that he was actually lying to her.

"You're lying!" She accused him. "You're both lying. I was at the human village, and I learned the truth!"

Mustachio's eyes widened a bit. "You know?" He asked.

"What happened?" Darnell asked, taking a step closer.

"Your mother was a very curious girl," Mustachio explained with a sigh. "When the humans came, she wanted to know about them. We came into contact with two of them, and she forced them to come to visit her every day, so she could learn more about them."

"But they skipped out on her?" Darnell guessed.

"It could've been for reasons at their home, but whatever it was, your mother felt betrayed," Mustachio went on. From the looks of it, it seemed he remembered every detail.

"An argument broke out, then a fight, and one of 'em ends up dead," Mustachio finished. "I witnessed it. She made me swear that when she had a child, I could not tell her what happened. She made us all swear."

"What do you mean, all?" Darnell asked. "How many of you know?"

"Everyone but the children," Mustachio confessed. "All the adults know the truth, but they lied to their kids all these years. She made us swear."

"So you've all lied to us," Darnell said, feeling a sense of betrayal. It was as if every person she ever trusted had betrayed her.

"It's not like that, Darnell," Mustachio reassured, but Darnell didn't let him finish. She turned to the door, and slowly walked out. Once she was out of the tree, she ran off.

Mustachio stared at the door as she left. Then, he closed his eyes and lowered his head in shame.

* * *

_Reviews are appreciated.  
_


	27. Captured

_I am a burglar: Just what do you plan to do with a wooden table?_

_Nancy Delilah: Because she's a villain._

_Police man: Did police even exist back then?_

_INSTITUTE: Yes, she did._

_Jeremiah Soul: What else were you supposed to take it as?_

_Excelsior: You do that._

_Al Drin Hoshizora: You bet she did._

* * *

Joshua and Maria struggled to follow the dozens of Bogeymen as they soared through the forest like a flock of birds, all of them heading towards the village as if they all had a single mind.

"Joshua, I think we should be going back!" Maria suggested as Joshua and her scurried through the forest after them. "We've done our job already, let's head back before the Bogeymen forget our show of kindness and kill us!"

"We have to tell them all about Darnell and what she's trying to do!" Joshua shouted back as he ducked under a tree branch. "We have to tell her mother especially!"

Maria narrowed her eyes. "Joshua, sometimes I wonder if you have a death wish!" In spite of this, she continued to follow him towards the village. By now, both the human children and the escaped Bogeymen had reached the village, and flocked towards their respective homes. Many of the Bogeymen had been trapped for years, and had thought they'd never see their families again.

One by one, the entrances to the trees were opened, and entire groups of Bogeymen swarmed out to see what all the commotion was about. Joshua and Maria were a considerable distance away from the village, but they still saw the look of awe cross their faces when they saw the imprisoned Bogeymen, now free, in the village.

For some time, Joshua and Maria watched as the Bogeymen stood, frozen in shock. After the surprise subsided, the two children were relieved as the Bogeymen reunited with each other happily. It seemed many of the captured Bogeymen had families that they were overjoyed to see.

Joshua breathed a sigh of relief, and slumped down behind a tree. Maria watched the village in awe. She had never seen so many Bogeymen in one area before in her life.

The two kids were so distracted that they didn't notice a dark figure approach them. Before either of them could react, a large Bogeyman grabbed both of them in his fists, hoisting them into the air with ease.

"What are you doing?!" Joshua asked in horror. "Let us go!"

The Bogeyman didn't respond, instead carrying them towards the village, where he threw them down onto the ground before the other Bogeymen.

"Two humans near the village!" He told the others. The Bogeymen immediately surrounded the two terrified children, whispering among each other.

Joshua got to his feet. "No, you don't understand!" He told them. "We're here to help!"

Darnell and Maria saw Darnell's mother push through the crowd and approach them. The two immediately quieted down as they were engulfed by Aristodemos' shadow. The tall woman towered over the two children, and looked down upon them with ire.

"Darnell... have you seen her?" Joshua stuttered out. "She knows what's going on."

Aristodemos scoffed. "We have no use for them to be here!" She shouted to the other Bogeymen. "Let's get rid of them now!"

"Wait, you don't understand!" Maria shouted as she and Joshua were dragged off. "We're here to help! We know Darnell-"

A large Bogeymen slapped his hand over Maria's mouth, quieting her. The two children were dragged off by the crowd into the forest. Aristodemos smirked, but felt Devony tugging on her sleeve.

"They're telling the truth," She told her as Damion and Devlin approached them. "We were trapped, but they saved us."

Aristodemos swatted Devony away, knocking her down. "You three will go into the house!" She ordered them. "You will not leave until this is settled! Do I make myself clear?!"

The three Bogeymen shook, and reluctantly obeyed, returning to the tree. Aristodemos then proceeded to follow the crowd to eliminate the two human children.

* * *

After Darnell had left his house, Saul had informed the villagers of what had occurred, and rallied them into a mob.

"I saw the direction she went to!" Saul told them. "I know she's heading to their nest! We have to find them at once!"

The crowd nodded in approval, but first, Saul led them off to the cemetery to check up on the captured Bogeymen there. When the mob did get there, however, they were surprised to see Judas and Absalom, unconscious at the smashed-open door.

"What in Heaven's..." Saul whispered, then grabbed his two men and shook them until they awoke.

"What happened here?!" He asked them, then looked into the cellars and saw that all the cages had been unlocked, and that all the Bogeymen had escaped. Saul's face began to turn red, and he looked down at Judas and Absalom.

"What did you do?!" He bellowed at them.

"Joshua and... Maria," Judas mumbled, still dizzy. "They knocked us out..."

"You let two kids outsmart you?" Saul asked in disbelief. He groaned in annoyance, then said, "Never mind. Where did they go?"

"I think into the forest," Absalom said, rubbing his forehead.

"Then let's get moving!" Saul said, shoving his men to their feet. "We'll deal with these Bogeymen once and for all!"

With that, the crowd set off into the forest, with Saul at the lead.

* * *

_Reviews are appreciated.  
_


	28. Ghouls

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Well, the mob is already on their way._

_I am a burglar: Because reasons._

_Juggernaut: She's the heroine._

_Boone: Try something._

* * *

Darnell darted through the trees, red tears streaming down her cheeks. She still couldn't fathom that her own mother had lied to her for her entire life, deceiving her with stories she had conjured up to excuse her actions. And, what was worse, every adult in the village had gone along with it.

Though her mind was fogged, she did know where she was going. Before long, she found herself in front of a small cottage that used to belong to a human couple. Bogeymen often disposed of human corpses in the basement of the cottage.

Without even bothering to open the door, Darnell smashed through it and entered the cottage. She walked through the room, not giving notice of the bugs and spiders crawling through it. Grabbing a door on the floor, Darnell tore it open, and looked into the basement.

Inside the basement were dozens of skeletons and corpses, which caused Darnell to briefly throw up. She covered her mouth, and steeled herself to enter the basement.

Inside, she walked through mounds of skeletons, and noticed that quite a few were that of children. She sat down next to one of them, realizing how much the skeleton resembled Joshua.

Darnell sat in the basement, surrounded by all the bodies, and thought to herself about how monstrous the Bogeymen truly could be. She'd been raised to think of humans as evil entities, but now she was starting to wonder if she was any different from them.

As she did so, Darnell began to feel an chilly feeling in the basement. She heard a faint hissing sound in her ear, prompting her to stand up and look around the basement, wondering if anyone was there. She saw nothing.

_"You..."_

Darnell's head whipped around and she found herself staring into the dead eyes of a corpse-like woman, a green aura surrounding her. As she looked on in awe, more eyes started to appear in the darkness, all staring at her.

Ghosts.

_"Why have you disturbed our rest?" _The ghosts all asked in unison. Darnell screamed in terror and began to run towards the open door in the ceiling. She felt one ghost grab her hair, but she swatted his hand away and flew up through the door, slamming it shut behind her.

Dashing out of the house, Darnell raced behind a nearby bush and sat down next to it to catch her breath. She breathed heavily, and shut her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she nearly screamed.

The Ghost, Saul's brother, was standing right in front of her, still in his adult form. He was unaware that Darnell knew he wasn't as old as he looked.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, agitated. "Why have you disturbed the rest of me and the others?"

After getting over the initial surprise, Darnell said, "I know you don't look like that. You're just a child."

The Ghost seemed surprised. "How did you know?" He asked, still not reverting to his true form.

"Your brother told me," Darnell confessed. "He seems to really miss you. Can't say the same for my dear old honest mother."

After a moment's silence, the Ghost shrunk down to his true form, that of a small boy around Darnell's age. He sat down next to Darnell, sighing deeply.

"You know, being a ghost isn't all that tough," He said with a shrug. "But it is boring. For nearly twenty years, I've never had anything to do with my life. I always wondered what it would be like to grow up and have a family, but now that's all gone. I guess haunting you gave me a purpose."

Darnell shrugged, too. "Your brother has a family now," She revealed. "He hunts Bogeymen for a living. I guess that makes you happy, huh?"

The Ghost smirked, but his face fell. "Now what are you going to do?" He asked. "You know the truth."

"I'm going to try and put a stop to all of this," Darnell said, determined. "But I don't know how. Who's going to listen to me?"

There was silence for a few moments, but then Darnell heard the sound of a mob shouting insults in the distance. Intrigued, Darnell and the Ghost flew into the air so they could get a view of what was going on.

Darell gasped when she saw, in the far distance, Joshua and Maria tied to a pole, with a crowd of Bogeymen surrounding them. Her mother was at the front.

"Oh, no," Darnell whispered in horror. "They're going to kill them."

She started to fly towards them, but the Ghost grabbed her leg. "I'll handle this!" He told her. "You can't stop a mob."

Darnell pulled away from his grasp. "He's my friend, and that girl is my responsibility!" Darnell proclaimed defiantly. "I'll do this myself!" Before he could stop her, Darnell was soaring through the air towards them.

Growling in annoyance, the Ghost followed.

* * *

In the village, Devony huddled with the twins, fearing for Joshua and Maria. She prayed that things would end quickly, or that the Bogeymen would come to their senses and free the children, especially after the humans had freed them from their confinement.

Suddenly, the door opened, and for a brief moment, Darnell assumed the villagers were back. However, it was Mustachio who was at the door.

"Where's Darnell?" He asked, looking concerned. "She vanished shortly after the humans and the missing Bogeymen appeared."

"I don't know where she went," Devony confessed as she and the twins approached. "She said she'd confront Saul from the human village."

Out of the corner of Devlin's eye, he noticed Darnell soaring in the sky. "Look up there!" He shouted, pointing up at where she was. The others looked up at her and saw her flying to where the mob was.

"Darnell, come down here!" Mustachio shouted. Darnell ignored him and continued flying towards the mob. With no other option left, the Bogeymen followed her.

However, as they left, Saul and the human mob arrived in the village.

"It's empty!" One man shouted, upset. Saul scoured through the village, and faintly heard the chanting of the mob of Bogeymen in a different section of the forest.

"I hear them!" He shouted, determined. "Come on, let's go!"

With that, he led the mob in the direction the Bogeymen were at.

* * *

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_


	29. Chase

_Silver's Fangs: Yeah, that... I'm going to move on._

_I am a burglar: Just try and catch a spirit. It's harder than you think._

_Gloyd Orangeboar: Then they'd tear you apart._

_Scarlet Rabbit: No kidding._

* * *

"It's funny," Maria whispered to Joshua as they were tied to a wooden stake. "When I imagined dying... I thought it'd be by human hands."

Joshua sighed, hanging his head. "Where's Darnell when you need her?" He lamented, and briefly tried to think of peaceful thoughts to dull what he assumed to be his painful final moments.

Aristodemos called off the Bogeyman tying them, and then approached them. Roughly grabbing Joshua's hair, she jerked his head up so he was staring at her, and then extended her claws. She pointed her index claw and aimed it at Joshua's throat.

"This is for conversing with my daughter," She hissed in a low whisper, and prepared to slit Joshua's throat. Joshua shut his eyes, and prepared to endure his death.

For a moment, time slowed down for Joshua. As he became lost in his thoughts, he wondered what death felt like. Was death agonizing in a person's last few moments, or was it a moment of peace for them. Joshua then thought of being taken up to heaven, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

"No!"

Joshua's eyes snapped open, and he jerked his head to stare at who had spoken. He recognized it as Darnell's voice, and he felt a glimmer of hope that she had come to rescue them. Aristodemos, likewise, took a step away from Joshua and Maria, and lowered her claws.

Darnell swooped towards the fields at a speed that Joshua had never seen before, which was remarkable considering how fast the Bogeymen were anyways. Darnell landed in between her mother and the tied up children, shielding them from the crowd of Bogeymen. She outstretched her arms and extended her wings to appear bigger then she truly was. The crowd instinctively backed away.

"Darnell, what are you doing here?" A Bogeyman in the crowd asked, startled. The crowd began to murmur for answers.

"I'm here to stop this!" Darnell stated firmly. "All of this is wrong!"

"What's wrong?" A female Bogeyman asked.

"These kids don't deserve to die," Darnell claimed, turning toward them. "They're totally harmless."

"What?" The crowd asked in astonishment. Aristodemos, who had remained silent so far, glared at her daughter. Darnell ignored her mother's glare, and instead slashed the ropes binding Joshua and Maria, freeing them.

"Darnell, I want you to leave," Aristodemos demanded. "Go, now!"

"No!" Darnell stated defiantly as she helped Joshua and Maria off the stake. "You're a liar."

Aristodemos' eyes widened in disbelief, then narrowed them again. Turning to the crowd, she shouted, "Look what these humans have done to this child. She's turned delusional!"

"That's a lie!" Maria stated, walking off the stake. "We freed your friends and family. Isn't that proof we mean no harm?"

The crowd began to murmur in disagreement with the three children. Aristodemos coldly gripped her daughter's face, stared her in the eyes, and whispered, "Leave now. I'll deal with you later."

"No!" Darnell shouted, slapping her mother's hand away. Turning to Joshua and Maria, she shouted, "Quick, get on!"

"Wait, what?" Maria asked. Darnell didn't wait to explain, and grabbed both of them and hoisted them into the air. Then, she extended her wings and took flight into the air, holding the two kids tight.

"Hey, get down here, now!" Aristodemos demanded, and took flight after them. The crowd watched from below, bewildered at the sight of what was going on in front of them.

Maria held tightly onto Darnell's waist, screaming hoarsely as she found herself over 100 feet in the air. Joshua, who was slightly more accustomed to heights, simply shut his eyes and wrapped his arms around her shoulders to keep from falling.

Darnell soared straight into the air, trying to fly into the clouds so as to disappear from view. She briefly looked down, and saw that her mother was catching up to her fast. She briefly screamed, and picked up flight. She vanished into the clouds, her mother flying close by.

For a brief moment, Darnell could hardly see where she was going. The clouds were turning gray, signifying that it would start raining soon. She hoped that the rain would deter the crowd from her, and she could hide with the kids.

Darnell heard hissing from behind her, and realized that her mother had caught up with her. Joshua turned around, and saw Aristodemos lung at them. Instinctively, he kicked Aristodemos in the face as hard as he could, knocking her back. She quickly regained her senses, and continued her pursuit.

Suddenly, a flash of green glimmered in the sky, and Darnell saw the figure of the Ghost form in the clouds. Before she could stop, the Ghost soared towards her, making a grab for Joshua. She jerked away at the last second, but this distraction allowed Aristodemos to snatch Joshua out of Darnell's grasp and fly off with him. Darnell immediately gave chase while Maria continued screaming her head off.

Below, Saul and the mob showed up at the fields, and they immediately saw the crowd of Bogeymen. The Bogeymen turned to stare at the crowd, and a rupture of screams and gasps erupted from both sides.

"I've never seen so many Bogeymen," One man noted. The crowds were distracted when they saw an explosion of green energy erupt in the clouds. Saul saw Joshua in the arms of Aristodemos.

"Good Lord," He whispered in disbelief. Judas aimed his crossbow to shoot, but Absalom stopped him.

"Don't, you fool!" He hissed. "You'll shoot the boy!"

Aristodemos, meanwhile, had noticed the human crowd and slowed down to observe the sight. Darnell took the opportunity to snatch Joshua out of her grasp and start flying to the ground.

"Phew, that was close!" Joshua said. No sooner had the words left his mouth that Darnell was struck with a blast of energy omitted from the Ghost. The blast caused her to release both children, and the three went soaring to the ground, Darnell unconscious.

The Ghost soared to catch Joshua as he fell, and grabbed him in his arms. He noticed Maria falling, and flew to try and catch her as well. Darnell regained consciousness, however, and immediately grabbed both children out of the air. Not knowing where else to go, she soared to the first thing that entered her vision.

An abnormally large tree, over a thousand feet tall, looming over the rest of the forest.

* * *

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	30. Taking Flight

_I am a burglar: You do that._

_Al Drin Hoshizora: You better find out._

* * *

Aristodemos watched as her daughter flew towards the ancient tree, the two human children in her arms. Growling softly to herself, she turned back and flew towards the crowd of Bogeymen. She knew she had no chance of catching up to her daughter now.

When she landed, it was only then that she realized that a mob of humans had gathered at the same site. She recognized Saul at the front, and knew he was leading the humans.

Floating down towards the mob, Aristodemos asked, "What are you doing here, Saul?"

The mob of humans gasped and backed away, apparently surprised to see the Bogeyman speaking. Saul, however, was undeterred.

"We've come to take back the human children that are rightfully ours," Saul demanded, pointing his crossbow at Aristodemos. She squinted her eyes at the weapon, then looked back up at Saul.

"They trespassed onto our land, so they belong to us now," Aristodemos declared, batting the weapon away.

"We'll fight y'all to the death before you take my son!" Joshua's father, who was part of the mob, shouted at Aristodemos. The mob shouted in agreement. The two crowds turned to each other, prepared to massacre the other.

Aristodemos raised her hand. "Stop, all of you," She shouted, and both crowds ceased.

"You want the human children, and I want my daughter," Aristodemos said to Saul. "Well, if we act like this, than none of us will get what we want! So, why don't we go get the children, and then fight each other as much as we want?"

There was an extended silence, and then one Bogeyman said, "That makes sense, I guess."

"What?" Saul said, flabbergasted, as the humans and Bogeymen grouped together and advanced towards the large tree. Saul followed them, saying, "Wait, come back! We can't join forces with those... those monsters!"

The crowd ignored him, and continued forward.

* * *

Darnell lay Joshua and Maria down on the tree branch. The tree was exceptionally large, and the tree branches themselves were as thick as a regular tree trunk. The three children rested down on the branch.

Joshua sat on the edge of the branch, swinging his legs out. Maria's nails dug into the bark of the branch. Darnell simply lay on her back, staring up at the stars and wondering what would become of her once the mob inevitably caught up to them.

Maria looked down at the forest, and saw the mob of humans and Bogeymen charging the tree. Frantic, she spun around to Darnell, crawling over to her and shaking her shoulder.

"Darnell, their coming!" Maria warned her. "Those Bogeymen are coming, with... humans? Maybe the humans will protect me and Joshua, and you. Possibly?"

Darnell sighed. "No they won't," She whispered in despair. "The Bogeymen won't listen to me, and the humans won't listen to you. As soon as they get us they'll go right back to fighting among themselves. This is all hopeless."

Joshua bit down on his lip. "You think I'll see my father again?" He asked. "And my mother?" Joshua began to shake lightly.

Darnell's eyes trailed onto Joshua, and for a moment, she felt envious. Joshua had been born to parents who loved each other mutually. Darnell, on the other hand, didn't want to see her mother ever again.

Darnell's eyes glistened, and she sat up, turned to the kids, and said, "Yes, you both will see your parents again."

"How?" Joshua and Maria asked, hopefully. Darnell grabbed the children and pulled them closer to her. "We're going back to the town."

"Really?" Maria asked. "The... human town?"

"Yes," Darnell said with a smile. "We'll show those humans... and us Bogeymen."

Joshua and Maria held onto Darnell tightly as she extended her wings, and she dove off the tree and glided through the air, flying towards the human village. Below, in the forest, the mob saw the three soaring towards the village.

"Are they going where I think they are?" Devony asked as she held onto the twins' hands.

"What is she up to?" Mustachio asked.

"Get her!" Aristodemos shouted, and the crowd of humans and Bogeymen charged towards the human village after the three children.

However, nobody saw the cloud of green mist seep out of the depths of the shadows of the forest and float after them, the whispers of dozens of lost souls echoing from within it.

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	31. In The Village

_Candlehead: They're definitely not going to do that._

_Al Drin Hoshizora: No they won't._

_I am a burglar: Yeah, you do that. See if anyone cares._

* * *

Darnell flew Joshua and Maria towards Joshua's house. Landing at the porch, Joshua and Maria let go of her and landed on their feet.

"What are we doing here?" Maria asked, pacing around the house. "The last thing we need is the mob going after your parents, Joshua."

Darnell shushed her, and looked up at the window. "Stay here," She commanded, before noiselessly crawling up the wall of the house and sneaking through the window. After a few seconds, Darnell emerged, holding something in her arm.

"Hey, it's the baby," Joshua said as Darnell landed, holding the infant in the air. "What are doing with it?"

"I'm going to hold it," Darnell said, cradling it in her arms. "Anyways, let's go to the middle of the village now!"

"Wait, what?" Maria asked in disbelief. "That is a terrible-"

However, before she could finish, Darnell had taken off towards the village, the baby in her arms. The moment she was gun, Joshua's mother came out. She approached the children.

"Joshua, is that you?" She asked, hugging him. "I felt a presence in my house, and I wondered if it were true."

"That doesn't matter," Joshua said, tugging on her arm. "We have to get to the village, _now_."

"Whatever do you mean?" Joshua's mother asked, but Maria said, "We'll explain to you on the way! Come on!"

With that, the two children grabbed her by the arm and pulled her with them as they ran after Darnell.

* * *

Darnell clutched the baby tight in her arms, hoping it wouldn't fall. She looked to her left and right, hoping the mob wasn't close enough to stop her. She saw them in the distance of the forest, and she knew she had to hurry.

"Hey, there she is!" She heard one man yell, but at the moment, she didn't care. She was flying over the village by now, and she was sure people had seen her by now. She slowed down, and hovered to the ground.

The baby was crying loudly, and Darnell began shushing him. "Don't worry, little one, you're going to be part of something very special," She whispered in order to sooth him. She began cradling him in her arms.

"Let go of that baby, you monster!" Darnell heard someone shout. It sounded feminine. Turning around, she saw a woman holding a rake, pointed at her, as a weapon. She noticed that a few other villagers were beginning to show up.

"Wait!" She said to attempt to cool them down. "I don't mean any harm!"

Unfortunately for her, the villagers didn't seem to be listening, as they started to surround and advance on her. Darnell looked around in fear, and instinctively extended her wings to make herself appear bigger.

_"Stand back!" _She commanded, and immediately, the group of villagers forming jumped backwards in shock. Realizing that they were scared of her, Darnell tucked her wings back behind her.

"You don't have to be afraid of me," Darnell reassured the villagers, and held out the baby to them.

"Is that thing talking?" Darnell heard one villager whisper. She briefly felt offended, and lowered the baby.

"Yes, we can talk," Darnell shot back at them. "We're actually a lot like you, in more ways than you think."

Before she could continue, she heard the sounds of footsteps, and the villagers parted for the mob of humans and Bogeymen to come barreling into the middle of the village. They stopped and faced Darnell. The villagers began screaming in shock and horror when they saw the Bogeymen mixed with the humans.

"There she is!" Absalom shouted, pointing a finger at her.

Darnell stared at the mob in shock. "Mom?" She asked, looking at the mob. "Mustachio? Devony? What are you all doing with the humans?"

"It's a long story," Saul said with a shrug. "But right now, we're here to stop you!"

Darnell began scratching the back of her head in confusion. "This is getting weird," She whispered, but nevertheless held out the baby for them to see.

"Put the baby down!" Saul commanded, pointing a crossbow at her. Darnell paused for a bit, and then hugged the baby close to her. When he saw that Darnell wasn't harming the baby, Saul lowered his weapon slightly.

"What are you doing?" One man asked. "Shoot her!"

"Don't you dare," Aristodemos threatened.

"I can't," Saul retorted. "I may hit the baby."

"I don't want to hurt it," Darnell told the crowd, holding the baby out for everyone to see. "I'm not an evil beast!"

"Darnell, what are you doing?!" Aristodemos shouted at her in frustrated anger. "Get away from that filthy human infant and get back into the forest."

"No!" Darnell stated firmly, even as she saw Aristodemos' face go red with anger. Ignoring her mother's bubbling rage, she turned back to the humans.

"Bogeymen and humans don't have to keep on fighting and killing each other!" She exclaimed to everyone. "We can co-exist!" The humans seemed scared, but listened intently.

"Was is she doing?" Judas whispered to Saul, who shrugged in response. At that moment, Joshua and Maria ran up, followed by Joshua's mother.

"Joshua!" Joshua's father shouted form within the mob, but he ignored him. Instead, Joshua ran up to Darnell.

"Are you okay?" He asked, and Darnell nodded and smiled.

Judas' growled. "This is getting ridiculous!" He shouted, and grabbed the crossbow out of Saul's hands and aimed it at Darnell. Instantly, Aristodemos grabbed the crossbow and pushed it in Joshua's direction just as Judas fired.

The arrow went flying towards Joshua, and gasps of shock and horror filled the air. Joshua turned towards the bow, but couldn't react in time to move out of the way. The arrow went soaring towards his face.

Then, right when the arrow was only an inch away, it stopped. Joshua shielded his face, shutting his eyes, but quickly opened them when he saw that the arrow hadn't struck him. He heard more gasps of shock, this time in bewilderment.

Joshua looked at the arrow, and saw that Darnell had caught it in her hand. She lowered the arrow from Joshua's eyes, and turned to stare at Judas, who shrunk away and dropped the crossbow in shame. Darnell glared at him, and crushed the arrow in her hands.

Instantly, the villagers began whispering, "That thing saved the boy? But how?"

"We're NOT monsters!" Darnell repeated to the villagers. "We're just like you!"

"Darnell, stop it!" Aristodemos demanded, but Darnell ignored her.

Pressing Joshua's face close to her own, she said, "Can't you see how similar we look. We're not all that different at all!"

Slowly, the villagers began lowering their weapons, conflicted. Even Aristodemos was silent.

However, a shadow of darkness was cast above the sky, blotting out the sun. Everyone looked to the skies in shock.

"What is that?" Maria asked, clutching her mother's hand.

Darnell heard the familiar whispering, and she knew instantly who it was.

It was the Ghost.

* * *

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	32. Wraiths

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Uh, did you even read what they looked like, because that doesn't match their description at all._

_I am a burglar: Yeah, you do that._

* * *

Darnell stared up at the green mist, her mouth agape as she tried to muster the words to speak. However, it was futile; she was at a loss for words. Her eyes were wide open, and she was shaking violently.

The Bogeymen were having similar reactions as they stared up at the spirits of the people they had killed. No doubt they recognized some of their victims, and the thought that they had returned from the grave for retribution terrified them. They shrunk away, fearful for their immortal souls.

Darnell clutched Joshua's hand and held her two brothers close to her, not wanting to let them out of her grasp. Maria hugged her parents close to her and shut her eyes, tired from all that had been transpiring.

Aristodemos was shivering as she looked up at the ghosts of her past victims.

"...No," She whispered silently to herself, backing away into the human crowd, then recoiling from them. "This can't be!"

She spun around, about to flee, and found herself face-to-face with The Ghost. It had been over two decades, but Aristodemos recognized her first kill instantly. She looked into his eyes, and he looked into her soul.

"You remember me, don't you?" The Ghost asked, hovering closer to her. Aristodemos shrunk down, her face going a ghostly pale, even paler than that of the ghosts themselves. She raised her arms to shield herself as she collapsed on the ground like a terrified little girl.

"This can't be real!" She wailed, so loud that everyone turned to her. "You're supposed to be DEAD! How are you here, before the living?!"

Darnell noted anger flicker in the Ghost's eyes. "I've been stuck on this world for years because of you!" He ranted at her angrily. "I was supposed to grow up and start a family, and you took it all away. I died so sudden that I wasn't finished here, so I was forced to wander up until your daughter's birth!"

Saul stared at the Ghost, and recognized in in a few seconds. His face paled, and he whispered, "B-Brother?"

The Ghost turned to stare at him, and his face turned to shock at seeing his younger brother after so many years. He seemed just as surprised that he was now an adult. Momentarily forgetting about Aristodemos, the Ghost floated to Saul.

"Saul, is that you?" He asked in disbelief. "You look so old now."

"And you haven't changed a bit," Saul whispered, a small smile appearing on his face.

The Bogeymen then noticed that several of the ghosts had recognized their family members, and were now reuniting with each other. Parents with child, brothers with sisters. The Bogeymen were surprised to see how close the humans were as family.

Aristodemos stared at the humans and spirits in shock, then she glared and straightened up. "Alright, I don't know what is happening now, but I demand you unearthly spirits LEAVE!" She demanded with fiery fury, turning the human's attention to her.. "Be gone from this world! From the living!"

The humans and Bogeymen all erupted into one gasp, as if it had been uttered by one person. Aristodemos' face was constricted into fury, her hair was wild and frazzled, her features ugly, her teeth bared. Darnell could tell she was at her angriest, and she'd never dream of confronting her mother when she was in a state such as this.

However, it seemed this was not the case with the ghosts. The moment the shock of Aristodemos' angry shouting ceased, the angry spirits soared towards Aristodemos like a raging swarm. Aristodemos' fury faded and was replaced with surprised terror, and she recoiled backwards, screeching as she was overcome by the swarm. As everyone watched, the spirits dragged Aristodemos into the air, kicking and screaming.

"Oh my Lord!" Saul shouted in surprise, staring up into the sky. The crowd of humans ran up to get a better look. The Bogeymen didn't say anything; they definitely didn't want to be dragged into the situation.

The ghosts were pulling on Aristodemos, flailing her in the air like a ragdoll. Aristodemos was screaming in terror and anguish.

"Help me!" She shouted down at the crowd of Bogeymen. "Somebody, help me!"

Darnell opened her mouth to say something, but she found she that, once more, she couldn't find the words to speak.

"P-P-Put my mother down!" She finally ordered as she finally managed to gain enough courage to speak to the spirits. The ghosts, even in their frenzy, seemed to hear her demands, as Aristodemos was released from their grasp. She plummeted onto the ground unceremoniously. Her head lolled to the side, her eyes rolling in her head. She looked up at her daughter, who stared down at her, then up at the ghosts.

The ghosts descended down towards the Bogeymen, their faces contorted into anger. Darnell could tell they were still angry at some of their murderers. The Bogeymen themselves backed away from the spirits, terrified. They found themselves surrounded by the wraiths, and they knew they could not defend themselves from the dead.

One spirit blasted a green volt of lightning at the Bogeymen, and they stumbled backwards. Instantly, they turned and fled the village, the angry spirits in hot pursuit. The Bogeymen and the spirits vanished into the forest, leaving the human crowd and the Bogeymen children to watch in awe.

"...What just happened?" Absalom asked, stunned at what had just transpired. Darnell didn't intend to wait to find out. Extending her wings, she soared into the forest, unwilling to let the spirits harm her family and friends.

"Darnell, wait for me!" Joshua shouted, bolting into the forest after her. Joshua's family followed suite, followed by Maria and her parents, and soon enough, the entire human village was stampeding into the forest for the sake of the Bogeymen.

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	33. Putting An End To The Chaos

Al_ Drin Hoshizora: Who are you talking about, exactly?_

_I am a burglar: No, I don't. I really don't._

* * *

Darnell dashed through the forest, darting through bushes and under trees in order to catch up to the Bogeymen and the vengeful spirits. Bogeymen were very fast, much faster than living humans, but this obviously wasn't the case for the spirits. Darnell was having a hard time keeping up with them.

She could hear the screams of shock and horror coming from the Bogeymen, and this spurred her to run faster than she ever had before in her life. Even with the knowledge that the older Bogeymen had lied to her for her whole life, she couldn't stand by and allow the spirits to harm them.

As Darnell delved deeper into the forest, she saw the panicked Bogeymen and spirits, all of them devolved into vortex of chaos. The spirits relentlessly pursued the terrified Bogeymen, who were well aware that they were incapable of harming the dead, and thus, couldn't defend themselves.

Darnell stumbled about in the thick of the forest, looking around as she saw Bogeymen and spirits all around her. One spirit soared above her, and Darnell dropped onto the ground, covering her head. She knew the spirits weren't after her, but she was aware that if she tried to stop them, they would turn on her.

"S-Stop," Darnell said, but it came out as barely louder than a whisper. Nobody heard her, and she clambered to her feet.

"Everyone, stop!" She demanded, somewhat louder, and was dismayed when nobody took any notice. "Stop it, all of you! Enough, before someone dies!"

The screams of the Bogeymen and the wailing of the ghosts drowned out Darnell's pleads. Overcome with rage, Darnell stood tall, extended her wings, and shouted, _"Enough!"_

This fearsome display was enough to attract the attention of everyone in the area to Darnell. The young girl saw the terrified eyes of the Bogeymen turn to her, as well as the eyes of the ghosts, filled with rage that she had dared interrupt their vengeance.

"Darnell?!" She heard Aristodemos whisper in shock behind her, but she took no notice. Darnell flew several feet into the air, making sure all eyes were on her.

"Everyone, stop all of this!" Darnell commanded. Though she sounded intimidating, she was truthfully terrified. She knew that if the spirits turned against her, she would be powerless to stop them. Hopefully, they wouldn't.

"I know you ghosts are very angry... being dead, and all, but can't you just, uh..." Darnell suddenly realized that she didn't know what to say to the dozens of furious spirits. She knew that they were right to be angry at the Bogeymen.

"You _monsters _took us away from your families!" One ghost shouted at Darnell, his eyes gleaming with fiery rage. "I will never forgive you!"

The other spirits shouted in agreement, and the Bogeymen shrunk down in cowardice. Even Darnell began to back away when she saw the full might of the angry spirits, and she knew that they weren't going to be stopped by her words.

Darnell saw the Ghost in the midst of the spirits, in his true form of that of a young child. He was staring at Darnell, then turned to Aristodemos, who was cowering on the ground near a tree. As the spirits prepared to attack, the Ghost surged towards Aristodemos, who screamed in horror.

"No!" Darnell screamed, and dove in between the Ghost and Aristodemos, shielding her mother. The Ghost did not stop, and continued forward.

Darnell covered her face, and awaited the pain that was sure to follow.

However, it didn't come. Darnell removed her hands from her eyes, and jumped in shock at who she saw.

"Joshua?" She whispered. The young boy was standing in front of her, shielding her from the spirit. The Ghost was hovering in the air, a look of shock on his face, and he flew backwards a bit. All eyes were now on Joshua.

"Move out of the way," The Ghost demanded after a tense silence. Joshua stood his ground in the face of the spirit.

"I won't," He stated firmly. "That Bogeyman... is my friend."

The spirits gasped in surprise. Clearly, they were stunned at the idea that a human and a Bogeyman could be friends. Joshua helped Darnell to her feet, and they stood tall in front of the dozens of revenants.

By this time, the younger Bogeymen, followed by the human villagers, had arrived. When they saw the Bogeymen and the spirits, they stopped. Then, slowly, Saul moved towards Joshua and Darnell.

To the shock of the children, Saul stood alongside the two children and faced off against the ghosts. The Ghost, in particular, looked shocked.

"Saul, what are you doing?" He asked. Saul didn't say anything; it occurred to Darnell that even he didn't know why he was protecting the Bogeymen, who he had hated for so many years.

"Listen, you spirits," Saul said. "This young lad here, is very peculiar, and I'd normally consider that a bad thing. However, his close contact with this Bogeyman girl seems to be of interest to us." Joshua smiled a bit at this.

Aristodemos got to her feet, in disbelief at what was happening. "What are you doing?" She asked. "Are you-"

Saul suddenly spun around, and his fist connected with Aristodemos' nose. The Bogeyman crashed onto the ground, dazed from the blow. Darnell and Joshua both gasped.

"Pipe down!" Saul snapped at Aristodemos. "I'm trying to save your lives."

Turning back to the spirits, Saul said, "Look, I know these Bogeymen have done... horrible things, to say the least," He said. "But I don't feel the children should have to suffer for it."

At that, the spirits seemed to get angry again.

"They've killed dozens of us!" One ghost shouted.

"And you've locked us up in cages for years, abusing us horridly and treating us like animals!" A Bogeyman who had been imprisoned shouted back at the spirits. "Several of us hadn't harmed a human in our lives, and we still had to suffer. We were tortured and kept in horrid conditions!"

"I even got a hole in my wing from that arrow!" Devony noted, extending her wing to reveal the injury in it. Saul stared at the wing, and recoiled.

"When my child were taken away from me, I thought I would never see them again," Darcey noted, holding Devony close to her. The spirits seemed to show penitence when they saw that.

Darnell and Joshua ran into the middle of the crowd of the living and dead. They were joined by Maria.

"Darnell told you, and I'll repeat her words," Maria stated. "Can't you see how similar we really are. None of us here are monsters. We're living, breathing, feeling people."

"I know these Bogeymen look scary, but what about how we look?" Joshua pointed out. "I bet the Bogeymen think we look hideous."

The spirits grumbled at that, and Darnell held Maria and Joshua close to her. "I love both of you," She whispered to them.

Saul watched them from afar, and sighed. As he did, his young children ran up towards him.

"Daddy!" They shouted gleefully as they embraced their father. The Ghost's face warmed as he saw his niece and nephew for the first time. Momentarily forgetting about the Bogeymen, he floated down to his family.

"You... had kids?" The Ghost asked Saul, who nodded. The Ghost looked down at his niece and nephew, and after a moment, he embraced them. A small tear slid down his face. The dozens of spirit's hearts melted at the sight. The living humans wandered to the spirits, and the Bogeymen backed away.

"...Mommy?" One girl said as she recognized the ghost of her mother. Instantly, the spirits descended down towards their loved ones and embraced their family members with whom they had been separated with for so many years. The thought of vengeance totally left their minds.

The Bogeymen, after realizing that the spirits wouldn't attack them, immediately ran to their own loved ones to make sure they weren't hurt.

Darnell watched, holding Maria and Joshua. She was soon embraced by her brothers, followed by Devony. Mustachio walked up, and ruffled her hair.

"Very proud of you, kid," He said, a relieved smile on his face.

Darnell smiled, then hugged Joshua and Maria close to her, and kissed both of them on the cheeks.

* * *

_Read and review._


	34. Story

_Al Drin Hoshizora: You're not describing them properly, again._

_I am a burglar: Whatever floats your boat._

_Well, this story is winding down. I'd actually hoped this would be the last chapter, but time will tell on that._

* * *

Some time later, the village of Bogeymen were standing on the edge of the forest. After the ghosts had been calmed down, the younger Bogeymen had been called in to join the rest of the village as they watched the human village from afar.

The humans stood at the edge of the village, staring at the Bogeymen from afar. The ghosts stood among the living, next to their loved ones. Children clutched hands with their parents as everyone finally got to see a full-view of the creatures they had all been so afraid of.

There was silence on both ends, nobody willing to speak. The only ones separated from their respective crowds were Darnell and Joshua. The two were in the middle of both sides, holding hands with each other. The wind blew through them, their hair flying to their sides.

"I'm so thankful to you, Darnell," Joshua said, a smile on his face. "You may have just saved everyone from, well, dying."

"I couldn't have done it without you, Joshua," She said, pulling him into a hug. "None of this could have happened without you. I'm so glad you moved here, and that I met you. Thank you so much!"

"Okay, okay," Joshua said when he realized that Darnell was squeezing him. Realizing this, Darnell released him.

"You go back to your village," Darnell said. "I'll come visit you, whenever I have the chance."

"Okay," Joshua whispered back. "Goodbye, Darnell." The two broke apart, and they took off to their respective groups. Joshua ran into the arms of his parents, while Darnell flew towards Mustachio, pretending to ignore Aristodemos.

Joshua and their parents began to return to their house, abandoning the crowd. The humans turned to stare at the Bogeymen, who returned to glance. After another tense silence, the Bogeymen suddenly vanished into the forest. The human jumped at how quickly the Bogeymen moved; it was as if they had teleported. Once the Bogeymen were gone, the villagers turned their attention back to Joshua and his parents as they left.

The villagers had noticed the two children conversing with each other, and they still wondered what peculiar people they had been. A Bogeyman and a human, befriending one another. They all wanted to learn how it had happened.

* * *

The Christian family swung the door open to their house and walked inside. Joshua's mother was carrying the infant that Darnell had dropped by at their house. They had been planning to find its real parents, but when they thought about it, it may not have been such a wise idea.

Joshua was about to walk upstairs to his room, certain that his parents were disappointed with him for befriending a monster. However, as he took his first step on the stairway, his father gripped his hand.

"Son, would you stay down here," He asked. "We'd like to have a word with you."

Joshua turned to stare at him. "What?" He said, confused. His parents usually didn't like to have talks with him. "But, I..."

"We really need to talk to you about this," His mother said, sitting down on the chair. Joshua turned to stare at her, then he got off the stairs and walked into the living room, followed by his father.

Soon, Joshua was seated in his chair, his parents on the other side of the room. All was silent for a few moments. Even the infant wasn't crying. After a few moments, Joshua's father lit the candlestick, illuminating the dark room. Then, he sat back down.

Joshua saw his parents sigh to themselves, and he wondered if they were upset with him. They had every right to be, with all they had done. They seemed to be trying to find the right words to say to him.

Finally, his father spoke.

"So, son," He said, pausing for a bit, then continuing. "When did you first meet that girl?"

There was silence.

"Darnell," Joshua said. "Her name is Darnell."

* * *

Joshua spared no expense. When he realized his parents wanted to hear the whole story, he filled them in on the details, or at least what he knew. He explained Darnell's name and when he first encountered her at his house. He went on about the pact she had forced him into, and how he had gone to visit her multiple times in the forest. He mentioned the bear the two had faced, and when he had encountered the spirit that haunted Darnell. When he got to the part about Darnell's siblings and friend attacking him and Maria, his parents had been able to piece together the following events.

"So, Saul had a brother?" Joshua's mother said to herself. "He was only a child."

"Darnell has a mother," Joshua said, though he had forgotten her name. "She was the real monster. I can't bare the thought of Darnell going back to her."

Joshua's parents nodded sympathetically.

"That thing... I mean, Darnell, was so much like you," His father pointed out. "I can't believe that these things have lived so close to this village for so long. And that they were living a life so close to ours."

"We have to tell Maria and her family," Joshua's father exclaimed, jumping out of his seat. "Their daughter knew of this, they'll be the only ones to understand."

He turned and opened the window to let in a cool breeze, and suddenly jumped back in shock.

"What the-" He said and paused. Joshua and his mother turned to stare at him, and they gasped in shock. Standing at the window was Judas and Absalom, and several other villagers right behind them. When they saw that the family had noticed them, they shrunk down in embarrassment.

"Uh, good evening, sir," Absalom said with a nervous smile on his face.

Joshua got up. "What are you... wait a second."

Rushing over to the door, Joshua swung it open. Immediately, Saul, Maria, and her parents all fell over each other through the door and onto the floor. Several other villagers tripped over them as well.

The family jumped in surprise when they saw that nearly the whole village was at the house. The house was practically surrounded.

"Sorry, ma'am," Saul said to Joshua's mother as he got up and dusted himself off. Joshua noticed that the undead were among the villagers, and he wondered when they were going to leave.

"What are you all doing here?!" Joshua's father asked in shock.

"Oh, admiring the furniture," Absalom said with a shrug. Joshua's father stared at him, bewildered.

Joshua walked up to Maria and Saul. "How long have you been standing around here?" He asked everyone.

Maria's father shrugged. "Oh, about the same time you got here," He said nervously.

"Why?" Joshua's mother asked, cradling the infant in her arms.

"We had to hear the story for ourselves," Judas stated. "That boy, befriending that monster-"

"Darnell," Joshua corrected.

"Whatever, but we had to know how it all happened," Judas went on. "So we, well, followed to the house and may have been listening in on Joshua's story."

"Oh," Joshua said, shrinking down. He hoped the villagers didn't think he was a freak for befriending the Bogeyman.

"I must say, boy, that is some story you have to tell," Saul said to him. "I do wonder about those Bogeymen, though. What are they doing now that they're back at their home?"

Joshua wondered the same thing.

* * *

_Read and review. Last chapter coming up._


	35. Resolve

_Al Drin Hoshizora: Yeah, pretty much._

_I am a burglar: If it stops you from stealing, I'm fine with it._

* * *

When the Bogeymen returned to their village, Darnell was soon enamored with questions from the other Bogeymen not unlike Joshua had been. The village desperately wanted to know what had happened with her and the human boy.

Darnell wanted to explain, but on the other hand, she didn't want to be seen as an outcast by the rest of the village. However, it occurred to her that she may already be one. What was the point of keeping a secret if everyone knew already?

Extending her wings and taking flight, Darnell soared to the top of a tree in full view of everyone, shouting, "Okay, I'll explain everything to you. But I need you to listen, and believe in me."

Most of the Bogeymen seemed willing to concede, expect Aristodemos.

"Darnell, get down here!" She shouted, more furious than ever. "You will not be explaining anything tonight because there's nothing to explain. That human has done something to your mind, and that's all there is to it. You're going insane!"

Darnell shot a glare down at her mother, and ignored her. "The boy's name is Joshua, and he's just like me!" She stated. "They're all so much like us! I thought they were monsters, but when I met him and Maria, I saw that they're no different from us!"

"You're talking nonsense!" Aristodemos snapped.

"I'm speaking the truth, Aristodemos!" Darnell retorted, using her mother's real name. Aristodemos seemed surprised, and she stopped talking, though her gaze remained cold.

Darnell was about to continue, but she stopped when she saw something in the distance that the other Bogeymen didn't see. For a moment, they waited for her to continue. Then, they turned to see what she was staring at.

There was silence as the Bogeymen, once again, saw the human village standing before them. They recognized Joshua at the front, his parents with them, and they knew immediately that he had led the humans there.

Saul walked up to the Bogeymen. He hesitated, then said, "The boy wanted us to come meet the girl," He explained. "Darnell, it was?"

Joshua nodded, and pointed up at Darnell, who stood at the top of the tree in full view of everyone. All eyes fell on her.

Darnell was silent as she felt hundreds of eyes on her. As she stared at the humans, she saw curiosity in their eyes, rather than malicious intent. Her wings extended, she glided to the ground.

"If I'm going to explain this, I want Joshua here with me," She said. "He'll explain it with me."

Joshua smiled and nodded, and immediately ran to Darnell's side. He held hands with Darnell and the two turned to face both crowds.

"This is going to be a long story," Darnell said. "So listen carefully."

* * *

Nobody was sure how much time passed. Darnell and Joshua didn't leave out any details; if they had, the villagers would have asked even more questions. And they had asked questions.

Darnell and Joshua scarcely did all the talking. Those who had been involved with the two's adventures would also have their say in what happened. Devony talked about how she had first seen Joshua with Darnell, and Maria explained how she had been accidentally stabbed by Darnell's claw. Darnell noticed Maria's parents glare at her at that point, and she turned to avoid their gaze.

As the two neared the end of their story, Darnell saw the sun start to come up above the horizon, and she realized that everyone had been up all night. Joshua had been explaining now about what had transpired that led to him bringing the villagers to the Bogeymen village in the forest, and where he had concluded.

"So, that's what happened," Joshua said, trying to make things as casual as possible in an abnormal situation. "Darnell is just a girl. A Bogeyman, but still just the same."

The humans and the Bogeymen stared at each other, still somewhat conflicted. However, they couldn't help but notice how similar they were in appearance.

Aristodemos stomped into the center of the crowd, her eyes flaming. "This is all nonsense!" She shouted in rage. "Humans don't belong with us! They should leave! Get them out, all of you!"

Mustachio stormed up to her. "Funny you should say that," He said, his hands crossed. "Because I remember when you were a young girl, and you said, exactly, 'I want to know more about these creatures'."

"I was a stupid girl back then!" Aristodemos snapped. "I'm older now, and smarter. I'm a mother now!"

"Are you?" Darnell asked, walking up to Aristodemos. "Are you really?"

As she said that, she pulled her hair back to reveal a bruise Aristodemos had dealt her. Everyone saw it, including Mustachio.

Aristodemos clenched her fists. "Of course I am!" She shouted.

"You're not a very good one," Joshua's mother stated, and Aristodemos hissed at her. Darnell walked past her mother and towards Mustachio.

"He's been a better parent than you ever were," She said defiantly. Aristodemos bared her teeth at her daughter, and stormed towards her, her claws raised.

"Get back here, Darnell, or-" Aristodemos was cut off when Mustachio roughly shoved her backwards, stating firmly, "You will not touch your daughter like that ever again as far as I'm concerned!"

Aristodemos' jaw dropped in shock as Darnell hugged Mustachio. She was at a loss for words as her twin sons joined Darnell by Mustachio's side.

"This is ridiculous!" She shouted. "Abysmal! Darnell is my daughter!"

Nobody payed her any mind. Joshua walked up to Darnell, and wrapped his arms around her. Darnell returned it. The other villagers looked on, and they smiled.

* * *

_**(One Week Later)**_

A woman and her young daughter were passing through the village when they noticed a creature sitting on the roof of their house. They looked up, and saw a young Bogeyman boy sitting on the roof, staring down at them curiously.

The woman and child stared up at the boy, hesitating. Then, they smiled as they realized that the Bogeyman was of no threat. The two then peacefully strode into their house.

It had only been one week, but the human villagers had grown somewhat accustomed to seeing Bogeymen around the village more often. It seemed that they had wanted to follow Darnell's example and gained her curiosity for humankind.

The feeling had been mutual. The Bogeymen began to see humans in the forest more often, calling out for the Bogeymen to come out of hiding. Some of them would even go to the Bogeymen village just to get a sight of them.

Another thing that had grown increasingly common was seeing spirits in the human village. The undead had wanted to see their living relatives again, and they weren't planning on leaving anytime soon. The Bogeymen were still somewhat wary of seeing the ghosts, but they tolerated their presence.

* * *

"And that's how Joshua and I fought off that bear!" Darnell explained to Saul's two young children in Saul's living room. She raised her arms in the air to emphasize what a frightening experience it had been. The two young children looked awestruck.

Saul's wife stared at Darnell and the children, and rolled her eyes as she continued knitting a new sweater for Saul.

Saul had since given up being a monster-hunter. As the man who had some of the most knowledge of Bogeymen, having encountered one as a child, he would now exchange information about them to the other villagers.

Joshua and Maria walked into the house, and Saul's wife sighed in exasperation as more young ones entered the house.

"What are you doing, Darnell?" Joshua asked. Darnell noticed that he and Maria were dressed differently. They were dressed in colorful bright red, in contrast to their dirty, old brown clothing.

"I was just recalling how we defeated that big old bear!" She said with a fanged grin. She mimicked the bear's growl, and Maria gasped and jumped in shock. Darnell then broke into innocent laughter.

"Oh, I can get in on that action!" Joshua said as he knelt down to the eye level of Saul's children. "That thing was huge. Like, five times as tall as I was. But I definitely wasn't scared. I knocked it down with my stick just like that!"

He was exaggerating a bit, of course, but he didn't want the little ones to know that. Darnell rolled her eyes, knowing that he was lying, but she didn't tell.

Everyone in the room felt a chilly breeze enter, followed by a green mist. Before long, the Ghost had materialized in the center of the room.

"Hey, Paul," Joshua greeted half-heartedly. In the week since the humans and Bogeymen had started to become integrated with each other, the Ghost had revealed his name to everyone.

"Where's my niece and nephew?" He asked, before wrapping his arms around the two young children. Turning to Darnell, he asked, "So, how is you life no that you're living with that one man?"

"It's better than with Aristodemos," Darnell stated. "Me and my brothers love Mustachio. He's very understanding!"

Peter nodded, and Darnell added, "You aren't still... raw about what my mom did to you?"

Peter shrugged and shook his head. "I've gotten over it," He said, and he sounded genuine. "Besides, I have my family with me here."

"What happened to your mom, anyways?" Maria asked as she wrapped a red coat around Darnell. She had made it herself.

"I keep in contact with her," Darnell explained. "She's been a little... shut down, I think, ever since we left. Mustachio's trying to help her, though."

"I hope so," Maria said. The two heard a knock on the door, and the kids rushed downstairs to answer the door. When Maria opened it, they saw Joshua's parents. Joshua's mother was cradling the infant in her arms. It was dressed in bright clothing as well. Outside, several Bogeymen were on the streets with the humans.

"'Tis the season of greeting," Joshua's father said with a smile. "Saul's out. Said he wanted to explain to the Bogeymen about this new occasion. I just wanted to tell you."

"What new occasion?" Darnell asked.

"Do Bogeymen have holidays?" Joshua's mother asked. The look of confusion on Darnell's face answered that question as a no.

It was then that Darnell saw small snowflakes floating to the ground. The children, human and Bogeymen alike, all began to run outside to play in the snow and have snow fights with each other.

"Hey Darnell?" Joshua said, nudging her. "Do you know what Christmas is?"

Darnell shook her head.

"Well, you'll find out," Joshua said as he held her hand. "Let me show you."

He pulled her out into the middle of the town. Darnell saw her brothers and Devony playing with human children in the snow. As she did, a snowflake floated down and landed on her nose.

Darnell smiled a bit.

Whatever this Christmas was, she liked it.

"Alright, human," She said to Joshua. "Show me."

* * *

**The End**

* * *

_Wow, it was tough finding out how to end this story. I hope I ended it on a satisfying note for you all. Stay tuned for everything else. _


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